The Dark Circle
by SisterGryffin-SisterSlytherin
Summary: Spin-off story from Pilfered Progeny.  Mallek Malfoy and his entourage, creations of the madman Malcolm Parkinson, are set to begin Hogwarts, one after the other.  Has their indoctrination truly been neutralized?  Can Hogwarts handle their combined power?
1. Alerick's First Year

**WARNING: **Contains same-sex pairings, male pregnancy.

**Disclaimer - **The main characters of this tale are the exclusive property of J. K. Rowling and belong to her fantastic wizarding world; I'm just visiting with them for a bit. Set Post-Hogwarts and Post-Voldemort era.

Alerick gazed at his reflection in the mirror; the robes he wore were very well tailored and fit him nicely, though they were not as intricate as those he was accustomed to wearing. They were black instead of his accustomed deep blue, and it had hood on it as well. The fabric was a rich silk, and bore tiny images of dragons visible only on close inspection.

He looked at his father, Lucius Malfoy, who looked a little nostalgic as he gazed at the young blonde boy standing on the pedestal in Madame Malkins robe shop. "Thank you, Lord Father." He smiled in his charming way, turning his eyes then to the only one whom he held in equal esteem as his father. "Do you like it, Mallek?"

The younger boy had grown up a member of the Malfoy household and had suffered through none of the lack and want that his genetic twin, Harry Potter, had endured. He was young, strong, and his eyes had been fixed by a mediwizard so he would never have need of glasses. He eyed the uniform critically, clearly not pleased with something about it. "Everyone wears these at Hogwarts?" Mallek asked, looking up at Lucius.

"Yes, son. It is the standard uniform. You've seen Angel in hers." He answered.

"But she had red and gold on hers. Alerick's is just black; there's no color to it whatsoever. You always wear green and silver with your robes…" Mallek answered. "This is just so…" he hesitated, searching for the correct word.

"Plain?" Lucius supplied the word for him. "Yes, it is a bit boring, all black, but he will not know what colors he will have until he has been sorted into his house. Each house has its own colors; Gryffindor has red and gold, and Slytherin wears silver and green, Ravenclaw wears blue and silver, and Hufflepuff..."

"No need to know about the other houses; I know I'll be in Slytherin house." Mallek said firmly, tugging at the fabric a moment. At least the fabric was proper; it was silk and was being fitted properly.

"I will be too, right father? Malfoys belong in Slytherin house." Alerick said, gazing up at Lucius.

"No one can decide their house on their own, son." Lucius answered with a slight smile.

"Well, why not? Alerick has to be in Slytherin, as I will be." Mallek frowned, turning to face Lucius. "We'll just have to tell them so."

"You won't be telling anyone at Hogwarts anything this year, my son." Lucius responded, nodding to the robemaker his approval of the adjustments. She smiled, nodded back and began to slip the robes off of Alerick to be completed.

"Of course I am, father. Both I and Alerick are going. We have to." He answered without any hesitation.

Lucius looked at the boy; he knew he was in for a challenge, convincing this boy of what the facts were going to be. "No, Mallek; you are not being fitted for robes, and you will not be going with Alerick and Angel to school this year."

Mallek's pleasant expression took on the sullen pout he had retained since infancy. His brows knit together and he scowled, lower lip slightly protruding out. "I need to go. Why shouldn't I? I attend classes with Alerick every day, and all the teachers say that I am doing just as well as he is in every subject. I'm not behind him; I'm on the same level he is. Why can't I go when I'm ready to go?"

"You are not of age. All new students to Hogwarts must be eleven." Lucius answered. "Draco was well trained upon his entrance to Hogwarts as well, but he was not allowed to get in early. They do not judge you on readiness, son."

"I want to go. I need to go!" Mallek scowled.

"You will not be going." The elder said firmly. "Not for two more years, you are only nine. I've explained this to you before. There will be no argument, Mallek." Lucius said firmly. Mallek scowled back at him, not backing down at all, his mind working madly to think up a valid reason that he had to be allowed to go.

Alerick looked from his father to Mallek, looking a little worried and confused.

"If he can't go, then I shan't go either." He said softly.

"Nonsense." Lucius turned away and began to walk; the two boys automatically fell into step behind him. "You will be going, Alerick; you must begin your magical education in a formal setting." He said firmly.

"Yes, I know Lord Father, but… but I can be taught by you while I wait for Mallek. You're very good at charms and spells and I could take potions with Professor Warrington and Professor Snape…" Alerick attempted. Lucius allowed the boy to try to come up with reasoning why he should be allowed to forego his schooling in Hogwarts until they arrived at the doorstep of the wand shop.

He came to a sudden stop, turning to face both of the boys. Alerick gazed up at him with his eternally hopeful and positive outlook, and Mallek clearly pessimistic at getting his way at all but his arms were no longer folded. "We have had this conversation many times, boys. Alerick must go this year. You, Mallek, and the others, will not. You are much too young to go."

"Why?" Mallek demanded sulkily.

Lucius sighed, gathering his determination to stand against Mallek's incredibly strong will. "These rules have been in place for centuries. You are not going this year. Alerick is. That's all there is to it."

"But rules can be changed!"

"Not to suit the desires of a nine year old boy." Lucius answered.

Mallek's lip protruded a bit more. "But Lord Father, I'm not just any nine-year old; I'm a Malfoy." Mallek said with a bit too much pride. "Make them change it." He insisted. "You can make them change it; I know you can Lord Father."

Lucius scowled at the boy, who was stubbornly refusing to back down. "Perhaps I could, Mallek, but I will not. The rules are there for a reason. You will wait until your eleventh birthday to attend Hogwarts."

Mallek was clearly willing to argue his father down if that was what it took. "But…"

"ENOUGH!" Lucius snapped at the boy, his eyes narrow. Both boys fell silent, gazing up at him now. "There will be no more discussion. You, Alerick, will attend Hogwarts starting on Monday. You, Mallek, will remain in London with the rest of the family until your eleventh birthday when you will go to school as well. Do you both understand me?"

"Yes, Lord Malfoy." Alerick replied quietly.

Lucius turned his eyes to the younger boy, who had refolded his arms and was now scowling darkly. "I understand what you're telling us but I don't have to like it." Mallek sulked.

Lucius eyed each of them a moment more, waiting for any more argument. Both of them had the sense not to challenge him further, so Lucius turned and led them into the wand shop to purchase a wand for Alerick's first day of school.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

"…do you all understand?" Mallek asked quietly. He was seated on his bed, legs folded, with the others of the circle seated on it facing him as well. The shopping trip had been yesterday; there was only one more day before Lucius would shatter the solidity of the circle and send the eldest amongst them off to Hogwarts.

"Yes, my Prince." Alerick said softly, looking a bit worried. "…but we told Lord Father Malfoy that you wouldn't go to Hogwarts."

"We're not breaking our word; I'm not going." He answered innocently, and then narrowed his eyes. "But I won't have you there alone."

"I won't be alone, Angel will be there too." Alerick answered in hopes of soothing the younger boy.

Mallek scowled at that answer. "I don't care."

"Angel won't let anyone hurt him, Mallek…" Alyssa spoke up.

"Angel's all right and all that, but she's not one of us." Mallek returned. "My plan will work; it's the best course of action. You have to do your part first, Alyssa. Go and take care of it."

She bit her lip a moment, looking down at her clasped hands, clearly thinking things over. "I know that if I do my part, Daddy's going to be really mad at me, but…" she nodded. "I'll do it." She agreed.

"Excellent. I can always count on you, Lyss. You're absolutely fantastic." He smiled warmly at her.

"How can I say no to you, my Prince?" she smiled back at him. "Especially when it makes you so happy…?"

He winked at her and looked at all the others. "We must be very careful; it is very important that none of the others catch wind of our plan either. If they let the grownups know, we'll surely be stopped and won't succeed."

Erin tilted her head slightly to the side. "There are a dozen other kids here. How in the name of Merlin are we supposed to keep them from seeing what we're up to?"

The darkhaired boy smiled. "I have it all planned out. It's still quite warm outside; we'll just ask our Lord Father for permission to camp out on the north acres. It's protected land, and I'm sure he'll say yes because he's allowed us to do it lots of times before." He said simply. "No one will be surprised if you, Alyssa, as well as Erik and Erin remain here. There's really no reason for you to come, but I must go else they will be suspicious. If we do this properly, no one will suspect anything until at least the next day. Then it will be done and they won't be able to change anything."


	2. The Hogwarts Express

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

The next day…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

George glanced up to see Jerrod moving through their room, pulling on his traveling robes. He frowned. "Going somewhere…?"

"You know I have a medi-wizard appointment today." He answered, rolling his eyes.

"Bloody hell, I completely forgot." George said, rising as well.

"You don't have to come. I'm not an infant." Jerrod said, buttoning his robes, pausing as he glanced at his reflection. He had filled out in the past four years; he had kept up with his exercising and was trim, but his scars still kept him from wearing anything besides full-length concealing robes. He was very self-conscious about his body and seeing the expression on people's faces at the scars upon his body just made it easier to cover up.

"I never said you were an infant, Jerrod." George said, moving to him and slipping one hand up over his shoulder. "But you know the treatments you get leave you weak and shaky…"

Jerrod watched the progress of George's hand in the reflection of the mirror, allowing his hand to slowly caress down his arm for a few moments, and then he pushed it away. "All right, all right, you're going to make me late." He scolded, continuing to get dressed.

"Hang on a moment, I won't be long." George said, moving to get his boots on.

"You really don't have to come." Jerrod repeated, moving to get his boots as well.

George stomped into his knee high boots then watched as his lover of the past three or so months pulled on the new dragon hide boots that he had gotten for him. Due to Jerrod's bad ankle, George paid the boot maker extra to magically enchant them to conform to his slim legs and to provide extra stability to his ankle; it didn't hurt at all that the unusual texture of the leather emphasized his legs quite nicely. George couldn't help but grin as he gazed at them. Buying those boots had been the thing that had started everything off between them.

Jerrod looked over at him, scowled, and threw the length of his robes down over his boots. "I think you've enjoyed that view enough to last me several months." He grumbled, though he did flush at the attention.

"And if you didn't like me looking, you wouldn't wear them. You know those boots really turn me on, Jerrod." George smirked, moving over to him.

He did like the way George looked at him when he wore the boots, but he would never admit it outside of bed. Jerrod made it a point to simply ignore the comment, getting to his feet with a little bit of effort. His ankle still ached horribly and threatened to give out frequently, even after all these years and therapy under Lucius' personal medic. "You see? I don't need your help all the time. I'm not helpless." He commented with clear sarcasm.

Still watching Jerrod move, George answered "I never would even HINT that you were." in complete honesty.

Alyssa skipped into the room then halted, smiling shyly. "Oh, hello daddy, papa…"

Jerrod was more than grateful for the interruption, preferring by far to deal with his daughter than with George and his discomfort still with dealing with the relationship they shared. "Is there something you need, my Lady?" Jerrod asked her.

"Can I talk to you alone, daddy? Please?" She asked, moving to him and gazing up at him, taking his hand.

"Of course. I'll meet you in the den to floo to the doctor." He told George dismissively.

George frowned, feeling that something wasn't quite right, but at least Jerrod was allowing him to come along to the appointment. He leaned over and planted a kiss on Jerrod's cheek. "All right; don't be long. I'll be waiting for you."

Jerrod gave him a shove that was actually quite gentle to push him along his way. "Go away, George. Our daughter wants to talk to me."

Smiling at the two, George strolled out of the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

Alerick stepped out onto the platform and got his first view of the Hogwarts Express, sitting on the tracks with steam billowing from its boilers as it awaited its passengers. The red engine looked huge to him; looming nearly to the height of the roof. It was simply amazing. "Hogwarts Express…" he murmured, moving forward. He glanced back at Lucius, his face lit with an angelic smile. "Father, it's hard to believe I'm really going. I feel like I've been waiting forever." He murmured.

Lucius smiled, glancing at Mallek.

The boy was clearly pouting about not being able to go with Alerick, but he had not once today asked if he could go as well, nor had he asked for Alerick to be allowed to stay until Mallek was ready to go along with him. He had to admit he was pleasantly surprised and more than a bit suspicious about the dark-haired boy's behavior, but he would have been much more suspicious if Mallek had not even been pouting.

"Why is it so hard to believe, Alerick? You are a Malfoy, my son. You are not weak; you are already well trained and prepared for what you will experience in your school. You will do well; I have no concerns at all." He smiled.

"Do you think I will be sorted into Slytherin house…?" He asked nervously, picking up the small cage that housed his pygmy owl. The creature, all black, pretended to be stuffed and did not move a muscle regardless of how wildly his perch swung. "I really want to be…"

"One can only hope." He answered with a smirk; he recalled Draco's first day on the train and he had harbored no doubts at all which house his eldest son was going to be sorted into. The blonde-haired boy might be a clone of his son, but this child was not Draco, not by any stretch of the imagination. He then gazed down at the boy, putting a reassuring hand upon his shoulder. "Naturally I would prefer you to be sorted into Slytherin as it was my own house at Hogwarts, but it would be acceptable for you to be a Gryffindor as well. You must gracefully accept their placing, and do the best you can in whichever house you're placed in."

"I would do no less, Lord Father." He smiled softly, gazing at him, standing in the same pose as Lucius. It was clear to everyone on the loading dock of the train that they were father and son.

"Alerick! Mallek! Nonno, hi!" Angel called out, waving at them as she arrived on the dock as well. Harry and Draco were just behind her, and she was hand in hand with her little brother James, who was looking around with very clear excitement.

"Good morning, Angel and James." Alerick smiled. "Hello Uncle Harry and Draco…" he said, giving them a proper bow.

Lucius glanced up the dock, taking a moment to run his eyes over the people he could see, looking for a particular individual. Not seeing him, he turned to in his son's direction, raising an eyebrow at Draco and Harry. "Your friend Ron is not bringing his daughter to the train this year?"

"No, he wanted to see her off to school and he's running late; he's made arrangements with the headmaster to bring Rose in to the castle for the feast himself this year." Harry answered. "They're due in back from France this afternoon, I understand."

"Oh it's going to be such fun having you with us this year… all my friends are looking forward to meeting you." She beamed as she came closer. "I hope you're in Gryffindor with me, it would be so much fun!"

"I'd rather be in Slytherin like father was." He said, glancing up at Lucius.

"Of course you would." Angel said firmly. "You know I don't care what house you're in, and we'll always be great friends because we're family." She said as she reached down to pick up her four-year-old brother and hug him.

Lucius glanced about curiously. "And where is Lazlo? Surely you did not forget that this is his first year as well."

"Of course not; he took off down the platform the moment we cleared the barrier." Draco answered with a smirk, which faded when he glanced down at Mallek. "Someone had left a lasting impression on him and he would rather be on the opposite end of everything that involves Alerick, I understand."

"A lesson that has not been forgotten, I hope." Lucius said calmly, brushing some dust off his immaculate robes. "The twins will not be there but rest assured Alerick has learned to defend himself quite admirably."

"You two ought to get on the train." Harry advised, having already put the girl's trunks where they needed to be.

"I hate that you're going." Mallek grumbled as Alerick turned to embrace him as well. All efforts had been made by Severus to change the bond that still remained between these two, but their affection and attachment to each other had never wavered. Alerick was still as dedicated as ever to Mallek, and the younger boy was always with the older boy at his side.

"It'll be all right, my Prince." Alerick said softly, hugging him tight. "I'll be back as soon as I can…"

"You won't. Lord Father Malfoy said you wouldn't be back until Christmas break. That's not just weeks, its months. Its ages! It feels like you've already left and I'm not sure if I can stand it." He mumbled, not wanting to let go, his arms tight around the older boy.

Angel kissed both her fathers and hugged them each, passing her brother off to Harry. "I'll write every day, I promise."

Harry chuckled softly. "You'll wear your owl out again. Use the school owls a few days a week all right? And we'll be sure to write to you too."

"And send you gifts as well." Draco added.

"Me too. And make you lots of pictures." James said brightly, though tears stood in his eyes. "You sure I can't go?"

"See if dad will bring you to pick me up; we can ride home for the holidays on the train." Angel suggested, and the little boy sniffled and reached out to hug her again.

"Go on, the train won't wait forever." Harry smiled, giving her a gentle nudge.

She gave them each a final kiss and then turned to Lucius, running to hug him as well. "Promise you'll all come and visit me, Nonno?"

"Of course; we'll be visiting at least as often as we did last year." He assured, stroking her hair and giving her a gentle kiss on the head. "Go and make me proud, Angel."

She beamed up at him and turned to the train, reaching for Alerick's hand. "It's time to go…"

"Yes, I know… all right…" he said softly, reluctant to release Mallek, who was equally reluctant.

Mallek pulled him into one more hug, trembling with emotions he had been sure this morning he would have been able to control. He felt lost, like everything was falling apart and he didn't know how to stop feeling this way.

Lucius didn't need to have the special abilities of a healer to see the air shimmer about the upset younger boy with the force of his emotions, releasing waves of magic. "Mallek, you must control yourself." He cautioned.

Mallek drew a deep breath, trembling now. "I can't help it… I just want… I want…"

"You cannot." Lucius lifted his cane from the floor; if Mallek continued to escalate and was unable to control this, there was no telling what he could cause to happen. He would have his wand at the ready, should he need to do something to contain the boy. "You must let him go; he must get on the train, Mallek. Let him go." He said quietly.

Finally Mallek released the blonde boy, his hands trembling as he clenched them into fists at his sides, his eyes on his feet, breathing rapidly. He couldn't watch Alerick walk away from him and leave him, he just couldn't.

"I'll write every day, twice a day… I promise, Mallek." Alerick said softly, looking at him worriedly.

"Go, Alerick. Get on the train." Lucius instructed in a firm tone.

Alerick looked up at him, then nodded and turned, dragging his feet as he moved to the train where Angel waited for him, holding the door. He gave one last look back at them and both he and Angel waved before they mounted the steps and they vanished from sight inside the train.

"Shall we go, Mallek?" Lucius asked softly.

Mallek shook his head, standing where he was in silence. He couldn't be the first to leave but he couldn't bear to look at the train any longer. Lucius kept his cane in hand, his wand hidden under the silver handle at the ready should Mallek let loose the magic that thrummed from his body in nearly visible pulses.

The train let loose a blast of the whistle and a great gust of steam billowed forth from the engine. The train jolted then began to move, the car bearing Alerick and Angel sliding past them and away. Mallek did not even notice Harry and Draco approaching them, Harry still carrying their son James. Other witches and wizards waved at their children as they were borne away by the train and then made their way back off the platform.

"Is he all right?" Draco asked softly.

He took a moment to consider the young man fighting with his emotions, and then nodded slightly. "Yes… He seems to be working to handle this. I think I will allow him to give his best try at handling it." Lucius answered.

The train slid past them, car by car, and Mallek did not move. He stood with fists clenched hard enough to cut into his palms, working to control himself. His father was watching; he could not give in to his own desires. He had to wait; he had to endure this painful separation. They all thought it was best for him and Alerick to be apart, his Alerick alone at the mercy of six full years full of classes and who knew exactly how many other students as well as that boorish idiot Lazlo; he would be completely unprotected. Mallek gave no outward sign that he even noticed anyone else around him, nor the fact that the train was no longer in sight.

The train had been gone for at least ten minutes now, and the two of them were the last ones on the platform. "Mallek. It is time to go." Lucius said softly, reaching to touch the boy's hand; it had been enough time.

The black-haired boy gave a cry and stomped one foot; his outline blurred and vanished; he was gone. Lucius was left standing alone on the platform, startled.

Great Merlin… where the bloody hell had the boy gone?


	3. On the Train

Mallek, his eyes tightly shut, felt the floor under his feet sweep up; it was suddenly not there under his feet. He opened his eyes and saw for a moment that all was a spinning blur, then it all resolved into a wall that suddenly appeared before him. He fell directly into it before his feet touched the ground; it seemed like the floor moved and threw him sideways as well; his head struck something and he collapsed in an undignified heap on the floor.

He heard sliding of doors and shook his head, completely confused. Merlin help him, he wasn't on the platform anymore. What had happened…? He realized he was in a narrow hallway, one lined with doors. He was in the end of the hallway, just a few feet shy of the door. He blinked, realizing that he must be on the train… somehow… His heart pounding, he reached up his hand to touch his head; it felt like he would definitely have a lump there. At least it wasn't bleeding.

"Hey, kid, are you okay?" A voice near him said. He looked to his left where a girl of about sixteen years old was kneeling at his side. "You hit your head really hard on that window ledge. Did you trip when you came out of your compartment…?" She said, looking concerned about him as she looked at his head.

"Yeah, um… I… I'm okay… just… just stumbled." He said softly, waving her off. He couldn't be here. He'd given his word; he couldn't be where he thought he was… He started to try to rise but she didn't allow him to.

"No, you need to stay there a moment. That's quite a knot you've got coming up there… I'd do something about it but my healing skills are pretty lame. I'd do more damage then I helped." She said apologetically, looking to the left. "Hey! Mary!"

Another girl stuck her head out of the next compartment. "What's up…? Oh Merlin, what happened to him?" she asked, coming out. Behind her a boy of around their age poked his head out as well.

"Do me a favor and run and fetch the nurse, he's hit his head."

"No, really, I'm all right. I need to find my friends." Mallek said, refusing to be mollycoddled. "It's just a bump; I don't need a nurse…"

"Its okay; she really can't help it." The boy said as he moved over. "I think all prefects have to be bossy and nosy and all that."

Mary hurried off to do as she was told.

"Very funny, Wally." She made a face at him. "He still needs the nurse."

"Send her to his compartment then. Come on, give the kid a break. He's just a first year and you can't be helping by trying to make him sit here in the middle of the floor." He returned.

"But…" she tried to argue.

"I'll get him to his compartment. You make sure the nurse finds us. Don't worry; I'll make sure that he doesn't fall again." He said, offering Mallek his hand.

Not wanting to stay there a moment longer on the floor in such an undignified position, Mallek took his hand without hesitation. He found his legs felt a little weak and shaky, but found that he was able to stand on his own. "Yeah, I… um. Thanks…" he said softly.

"I'm Wallace Durgin." He smiled, keeping hold of his arm.

"Wallace, I can handle this. I'm the prefect…"the first girl said importantly.

"And you're late for your prefect meeting, aren't you?" He asked pointedly. "This isn't a prefect matter." He looked at Mallek. "You don't care if I take you to your compartment, right?" He asked, dragging Mallek into the conversation.

"I would much rather he escorts me." He said agreeably. He did not like this pushy girl overmuch and had no intention of remaining with her given the choice.

She started to talk, then closed her mouth for a moment and sighed. "All right, but be careful, the train gets wobbly…"

"I've ridden it one more year than you have, remember? Go on, I'll get him back to his mates and if we need you I promise to send Mary running, all right?" She sighed and moved off. Wallace chuckled and glanced at the younger boy. "Come on, before she changes her mind and heads back let's get you to your friends. Which way?" he asked.

Mallek hesitated, half closing his eyes and reaching out. He had no idea where he was on the train but an idiot would have known he was on the Hogwarts Express. He needed to cover up the fact that he did not belong here and the best way was to find Alerick, and quickly. He let his conscious self go and found he felt a tug inside, an undeniable pull. That could only be one person.

He smiled and opened his eyes again; he knew which way to go. "Follow me." He said, leading the way. His steps became surer and faster with each step, hurrying through this car and into the next. Wallace kept up with him easily, strolling along behind him and ensuring that no one they passed bothered the boy as he moved through the hallway.

-.

"A hat…? You're having me on!" Alerick said with a laugh.

"No, I'm telling you the truth." Angel smiled at him, her eyes sparkling. "It seems silly, I know, but I promise you its real. It's an enchanted hat; it sings and talks and tells which house each person has to go to."

"But how could some old hat do the sorting? It sounds really odd, to say the least…"

"I don't know how it does it, but I do know that the headmaster stands by the decisions that the Sorting Hat makes. The teacher put it on my head and I just focused on how much I wanted to prove myself and my strength to Nonno and make Daddy and Papa proud of me, and I thought about little James and the twins and how much I love them. The next thing I knew it was calling out that I was to go to Gryffindor."

"I wonder what you'd have to think about to be chosen as a Slytherin…" Alerick mused.

"I don't know… I just know there aren't many Slytherins that I want to be around, the older ones anyway. The first years were okay. You sure you and the others need to be in Slytherin house?" Angel asked.

"It's just meant to be that way…" he began, but then he fell silent, turning his face to the door.

"Alerick? Is something wrong?" Angel asked.

"It can't be." He murmured, rising to his feet, ignoring her question. He could feel someone, something pulling and calling to him, but it couldn't be… He moved to the door and pulled it open, turning to gaze down the hallway just as Mallek stepped through the door at the end of the car. "Mallek…?"

"Alerick!" the younger boy said with great relief, picking up his pace though his knees felt as weak as water.

"I take it these are your mates." Wallace smiled, following Mallek as he hurried to Alerick, who pulled him into his arms.

"What happened?" Alerick asked, seeing the knot on his forehead; he immediately glared at the boy escorting his prince assuming he must have done this to him. "How dare he lay a hand on you…!"

"What? I didn't…" Wallace held up a hand.

"No, Alerick, I'm fine really. I just fell, that's all. Wallace just helped me." He said quickly, feeling Alerick tense up in preparation to defend him; he didn't need his friend to be in trouble for assaulting another student.

Alerick relaxed slightly, taking him at his word. "Oh. I see…"

Mallek returned his attention to He then glanced at Wallace. "I'm all right now, you can go." He said in a clearly dismissive tone.

Wallace smirked. "If I leave before the nurse gets here I'll probably catch hell from Marissa for about a month." He answered. "I think I'll stick around. You, on the other hand, need to go and sit down."

"Yes, that looks horribly painful…" Alerick said softly, reaching to run a finger around the swollen area. "Come, you really do need to sit and let me take care of you…"

Mallek glanced back at Wallace who simply smiled and leaned on the wall. He had no intention of going anywhere; he would not be so easily brushed off.

The younger boy restrained his sigh of frustration. "I think sitting down would be welcome… are you alone?"

"No, Angel is here with me." he led him into the compartment; Angel was already on her feet, looking very worried.

"Mallek… how did you…?"

"I stumbled and hit my head." He said truthfully and left it at that.

Angel glanced at Wallace and stepped back to let Alerick get the younger boy settled on one of the couches, sitting on the edge beside him. "Should I get you some ice…?" she asked; the knot on his head seemed huge and was turning colors.

Wallace moved in as well, glancing at Angel. "I know you, you're the Potter girl. I've seen you at school. Have a good summer?"

"Yes, thank you." She said.

"And this blonde lad looks like every other first year on the train. This fellow here seems rather young to be coming to school, even for a first year."

To the surprise of Mallek, the older girl answered without even the slightest hesitation. "Mallek might seem a bit young, but he's as good with his wand and even at potions as any first year I've met." She said with complete honesty. "He's just come along for the train ride; my grandfather – his father – will meet him at Hogsmeade Station."

"Oh, well, that makes sense." He nodded, leaning back out the door again to look. "Perfect timing; here comes the medi-wizard." He grinned.

"Step aside, Mr. Durgin." He ordered; he was a plain-looking man in his late forties, with very little hair anywhere on his head or face, except for the fact that he had incredibly bushy eyebrows.

Alerick rose also and stepped back, looking very worried.

The medi-wizard glanced at him only a moment and then turned his full attention to the injured boy. He eyed his forehead and clucked his tongue. "Tch tch… what in Merlin's name happened to you?"

Mallek eyed the man; he seemed rather daft to be tending to the health of students. "I fell and hit my head on the windowsill."

"Whatever possessed you to do that?" the man asked, slipping on spectacles with odd little devices on the sides, which he flipped over to peer through at the injury. "Not the brightest thing to do, is it?"

"I didn't do it on purpose." Mallek scowled at him.

"You didn't?" he queried, tilting his head and flipping over a second layer of lenses of the weird glasses.

"Of course he didn't, don't be daft!" Alerick said, scowling too. This man was a complete nutter!

"Hm. Well, on purpose or not, you're liable to have quite a headache for a while." He said, slipping the glasses off once more. "You haven't managed to crack your skull, though you have quite a bruise there. Your brain has not sustained any damage either, just relax and take it easy for the rest of the trip." He advised as he turned and bustled out as quickly as he came.

"Toldja." Wallace smirked at Mary, who had come with the medi-wizard.

"Oh do be a dear, Wallace, and shut up." She said, sticking her tongue out at him. "Even you thought that he should see the medi-wizard."

"So I did, but my mum would have my hide if I didn't think of a student's health first." He answered with a grin.

"Just because she works at the hospital…"

"Oh, let's not bore these kids with our chatter, Mary. Come on, let's let them have some privacy." He suggested, putting his hand through the crook of Mary's arm.

"Now wait a minute…"

"No arguments Mary. Let's go." He said, pulling her along. "Take it easy, short stuff." Wallace gave Mallek a wink as he exited and moved back down the train, pulling a protesting Mary along with him.

Angel followed them to the door and glanced out; Mary was still complaining as they passed through the doors to the next car. She stepped back inside and closed the compartment door once more.

"…was he calling ME short stuff…?" Mallek asked, scowling. Angel shrugged, nodding.

Alerick sat back down beside Mallek, gazing at him worriedly. "How in Merlin's name did you get here? Please tell me you didn't sneak onto the train. You promised Lord Father Malfoy…"

"I didn't break my promise, not on purpose. I really don't know how I managed to get on the train. I was standing on the dock, after the train was gone. It hurt seeing you leave, knowing you were getting farther and farther away from me. I couldn't even hear the train anymore. It was quiet when I heard Lord Father telling me it was time to leave. I was so upset, I tried to calm down but… well, the next thing I knew is I was here, on the train, in the last passenger car." Mallek said softly, clearly confused and more than a little shaken by his accidental teleportation not to mention the separation and reunion to Alerick in the span of an hour.

Alerick brushed the hair off his Prince's forehead, his touch tender. "They have to understand it was an accident. We haven't learned how to apparate; I'm sure they'll know…"

"Lord Father Malfoy is going to be furious with me for breaking my word." Mallek said softly, his eyes downcast. This could ruin everything; all his carefully laid plans would be dashed to pieces by his own inability to control his own pain. "I have to reach him and explain. We can send your owl…"

"No, you don't have to. I can reach him." Angel spoke up. Both boys looked at her; they had forgotten she was even there. "I can reach Nonno in just a few minutes' time. He'll know where you are and the truth of how you got here."

"How can you do that?" Mallek asked.

"I've been taking special training lessons with my Granther in the United States; that's where I was going on weekends about three years ago. I've inherited a special skill from my mum and my Native American ancestors. It's called Spirit Walking."

"We've traveled so far already; can you really contact Lord Father Malfoy with that?"

"Yes. But it's dangerous for me. The trouble with spirit walking is that when I do it, I'm completely helpless. I need someone to watch over me and keep my body safe until I can get back."

"I'd like to see anyone get past us." Mallek said softly, pushing himself into a sitting position.

"We will guard you with our lives. You have my word nothing will harm you." Alerick said in a completely serious tone.

Angel smiled at him, her green eyes twinkling merrily. "Well I don't think that I could be any safer than to be guarded by the two of you." She said, moving to take a seat. Alerick moved and locked the door and closed the blinds, then slipped onto the bench beside Mallek, who cuddled close to him, settling in his arms.

Once they had everything secured, Angel settled back on the couch, allowing her body to relax and her eyes to close, slipping into a trance.


	4. The Prince's Plan

"…and he simply vanished. Mallek was never taught how to apparate by that madman Parkinson, was he?" Lucius asked in a quiet, cool tone.

Severus shook his head. "No, he was never taught to apparate. I don't think they intended to teach any of them apparition until they were sure their indoctrination was irreversible and the children were adults. Out of all of them, Mallek received the least formal training as he was the youngest." He mused, stroking his chin in thought. "Are you certain he didn't simply become invisible?"

"I'm not a fool, Severus." Lucius snapped, losing a bit of his control. "Absolutely certain. I cast Finite Incantatum on the entire area; he wasn't there. I even summoned his wand but he was not within my range to reach. Where would he have gone, anyway? The train had left the station at least ten minutes before he disappeared." Lucius answered.

"It's simple then; he apparated instinctively." Harry answered. Both men looked at him and Harry shrugged. "It's not unheard of; I did it around that age too. My cousin and his friends had me cornered and I ended up on the roof of the school. Of course I had no clue what I had done at the time."

"Its bloody dangerous, apparating without training…!" he scowled.

"If it was instinctual magic often the magic is done without flaw. He was quite upset about not being able to go with the others on the train, and doubly so about being separated from Alerick. I'm certain he's fine…" Severus answered.

"I'm so glad you came home, Nonno." A calm voice said to their right. All three men turned to see Angel, standing calm and serene in her school uniform; her hands clasped before her a soft, slightly shy smile touching her lips. "Let me start off by telling you that Mallek is fine, he's sitting here in the compartment here with me on the Hogwarts Express with me and Alerick. He's rather shaken up and he hit his head when he apparated into the hallway of the train, but the mediwizard says he's only bumped his head."

"On the Hogwarts Express…?" Lucius' face went blank, hiding his shock. He knew Mallek had great potential but he had never expected anything like this. The most skilled of wizards would balk at apparating onto a moving target like the Hogwarts Express, much less one that was no longer within their range of sight. "How the bloody hell did he manage to do that and not end up in the boiler of that ruddy engine or under its wheels?"

Angel shrugged, looking thoughtful. "Just lucky, I guess. I'm sure he didn't try to do it at all, Nonno. He really does seem upset that he's here; he keeps saying he promised you he would stay at home, with you. He just…" she paused, trying to find the right words. "I suppose he simply WANTED it so badly that it happened. Accidental magic, like Lilly and Remy do when they want something and you and Nona tell them no."

Lucius forced himself to calm down; there was no danger to his child. He took a deep breath and released it slowly before answering once more. "Well there's nothing for it then." He stated. "Tell Mallek I will be waiting for him at the station."

"I knew you would, Nonno; I already told him that and he is expecting you to be there." She answered with a smile.

He found himself smiling at her. "Clever girl. All right, you keep an eye on him for me and I will meet the three of you at the station." Lucius said firmly.

"Of course, Nonno." She smiled.

Harry spoke up once more. "Go back now, Angel; don't stress yourself any further. I know this gets harder with distance."

"I'm stronger now, but all right. I love you both." She smiled, then dissolved into a mist and was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

Jerrod pulled his boots back on, his attention on the therapeutic witch. The new set of exercises didn't seem to wear on him as bad as the old ones did; maybe he could actually manage these on a daily basis. "So I do this every day…?"

"Yes, but be sure to use the specialized healing cream each time that you complete the exercises. The tissue inside sustained a lot of damage and you should have seen a healer back when it first was injured. I'm not sure if we can ever undo all the damage that was done…"

"I couldn't see a healer then." Jerrod shrugged. "As long as you make it so it doesn't collapse on me I really don't care if it aches." He said, speaking the trigger word to get the boots to fit to his calves and lower thighs. He glanced at George and saw him watching again and threw his robes to cover his legs, rolling his eyes. "So I come back when?"

The woman smiled. "That's what I like to hear. Next month, I want to check if we are making progress or if we have reached the limit of what we can do with your particular problem."

"All right. Next month then." He said, rising a little unsteadily. George moved to support him, easily ignoring his warning scowl. The younger wizard had never stopped glaring at George even though they had recently become intimate.

"I find its wonderful when our patients have someone that will support them." The therapeutic witch smiled at George. "Make sure that he does his exercises; it's always easier with a partner to help ensure things get done." .

"He's not my husband." Jerrod said, though he was allowing George to support him but he was determined to stand on his own the moment this stupid ankle would allow it.

"Not yet." George added brightly, clearly amused by the entire affair.

The witch half-chuckled, watching as the two moved out of the office; Jerrod grumbling and George helping him until the healing potion restored enough of the strength in his ankle to walk alone.

Jerrod finally stood on his own, taking a moment to get his balance coordinated. He stepped away from George as they took the lift down to ground level. "You go on; I have some business to do here in town." He told him, arranging his robes self-consciously.

George grinned. "Shopping, eh? Well I'll just come along with you, then. I can carry the packages and things, I love shopping…"

"No. I have some things I need to do by myself." He answered coolly. "You go right ahead and shop on your own."

George eyed him suspiciously. Jerrod was always brushing him off, but something felt odd about this situation. "What's going on…?"

"What…? Oh come on, George, give me a break." Jerrod rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you're actually jealous? Jealous of what? You can't be seriously thinking that I'm looking for someone else…!"

"It hadn't really crossed my mind, but…" George started.

"But I'm such a tight-ass curmudgeon I barely let YOU near me…!" he said in a tone dripping with sarcasm.

"It took me four years to get close to you." George agreed. "But I you know what? I really do enjoy the fact that you're a tight-assed curmudgeon." He said with a lusty grin.

Jerrod flushed hotly at the comment. "Would you give me a break?"

George laughed; he thought it was so attractive when he made Jerrod blush. "All right, all right. I'm going to the joke shop to get some work done. Fred's been after me to work on some new items; I hope to have at least a few new items for Christmas. Just call for me if you need anything, use the watch."

"Sometimes I swear you treat me like an infant." Jerrod grumped. "I know what to do; I know how to call you. Really, George, you worry too damned much. I'm fine." He said firmly, looking exceedingly stubborn.

George couldn't help but be certain that something was very wrong, but he could not find any reason to hang about. "All right, I know when to give in and back off." He grinned softly, moving off to allow Jerrod his privacy to do whatever he needed to do.

Jerrod watched him go, and then slipped his watch down into his pocket. He had no intention of allowing George to eavesdrop on what he was going to be doing for the next several hours. That watch was a gift that was enchanted to connect with a pendant that his daughter never removed as well as the ring on George's finger. Each of them could use the stone set into the item to see where the others were; it was a gift that enabled Jerrod to finally relax about his daughter being stolen away by some maniac like Parkinson.

Satisfied that his lover was going elsewhere, he leaned on his walking cane and hurried as much as he could the other way down the street. He put one hand to his forehead; his thoughts were now slightly muddy. This was not a feeling that was unfamiliar to him; he knew exactly what was going on. His siren daughter had used her influence to place a geas upon him. She did not do this to him much anymore but this time it was very important; the consort had to be protected.

He had, over the years, developed some resistance to her commands, but he chose to go along with her commands at this time. The reasoning of the children agreed with his own desires; the consort was alone at Hogwarts and that was not acceptable. Alerick had to be protected. Jerrod had chosen to simply not say anything to anyone about it all and continued with the orders she had imposed upon him.

He moved down the street several blocks before he slipped down an alleyway, into the unsavory atmosphere of Knockturn Alley. He glared at a witch who gave him a sly glance, quite familiar with how to behave once inside this area; she frowned and looked away. Shopping here was not unusual for him; he needed many items here for his work for Lucius Malfoy. There were some ingredients for spells that he needed, at times, that were not strictly legal.

He tried to move quickly; he wanted to ensure that he was not being followed. He slid into an empty nook near one of the stores and leaned on the wall, casting a glamour on himself to slightly alter his appearance. Only then did he take a moment to catch his breath and watch passersby, though his ankle was aching now pretty badly. He then simply waited.

It was a good five minutes before he finally saw what he expected to see. George Weasley moved past him without even seeing him, clearly looking for him; the man seemed to know how to behave here but to Jerrod he clearly stood out with his unhooded shock of red Weasley hair.

He waited until he saw George vanish into one of the stores, then stepped into the open alley and with a soft whispered a soft word, apparating away.


	5. Plan in Motion

That landing was one of the worst he had made in quite a while. The therapy he had undergone had really affected the strength of his legs and his balance as well, but he managed to avoid anything worse than falling to one knee and both hands. He cursed under his breath and looked about; no one had noticed his arrival in the northern quarter of the lands held by the Malfoy Clan except for lone black piebald horse. That stallion snorted, flicked its tail, and leapt away at a run.

"Showoff." Jerrod grumbled, pushing himself carefully back to his feet again. He paused a moment to get his bearings, then straightened up and headed directly south. He didn't have to use any spells to locate his daughter anymore; the mark upon his shoulder led him in the direction he needed to go. He rounded a copse of trees and saw the tent there, the three children standing outside its flaps, clearly awaiting someone or something.

Alyssa brightened instantly when she spotted him and gave a happy squeal, breaking into a run toward him. "I knew you'd come daddy, I knew it!" She declared, barreling into him with a hug. Her weight overbalanced them both; he toppled and she fell on top of him with a giggle.

He grunted in pain, but stifled any further display of discomfort. He did not want her to know that she had hurt him, yet again. She ten years old now, and she was so big that her displays of affection often caused him pain of some sort of another lately. He gave her a gentle embrace and the two of them sat up.

Erin and Erik had come over at a far more sedate pace to join them. They paused a few steps away; Erik had a fully packed duffel bag slung over his shoulder. "I'm ready, Professor." He said softly.

"I need a moment or two," he answered reluctantly, finding it difficult to get his ankle to bear his weight. He knew by the time he was finished with this caper he would be lucky to be walking at all. He drew a phial out of his pocket and downed it; the painkiller quickly went to work and made the pain ease considerably. He sighed softly, opening his eyes and looked up into the worried eyes of his daughter.

"Your ankle again, daddy?" Alyssa asked softly, looking quite contrite. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking…"

"It's truly nothing, my lady." He said, getting carefully to his feet, wanting to reassure her. "You need not worry so, I'm all right." He gave her a soft smile, touching her hair.

She smiled back and hugged him again, more carefully this time and then glanced at Erik who was looking particularly impatient. "I guess you have to hurry…"

"Yes, I will need to apparate twice to get to Hogsmeade and then we must walk to the castle in order to get there before the banquet and the sorting." Jerrod answered, eyeing Erik. The boy looked taller, nearly an inch more than his twin though both were naturally tall. "I don't understand, though, how this is to work. You're not of age, Erik…"

"I've taken an aging potion." He said, chin high. "I'll pass their inspections."

"You don't have to convince me, Erik; I'm taking you." He said, leaning on his cane a bit to take a step forward. "Let's go already before my common sense kicks in and I go look for Master Lucius." He held out his arm to the boy.

Erik stepped closer immediately, slipped his own arm through the crook of Jerrod's elbow and got a secure grip. "Ready, sir."

Alyssa stood on her toes to kiss her father on the cheek, and then stepped back beside Erin to watch as the two apparated away from Malfoy Manor. "Do you think they'll make it…?" Alyssa asked softly.

"Yes, I'm sure they will… but I'm not sure how long this will last before they're found out." Erin answered quietly. "I only hope its long enough for Erik to get settled… though its going to be really hard without him."

"We'll get you through, Erin." Alyssa assured, taking the older girl's hand.

Erin glanced at her and smiled softly. "Thanks, Liss." She murmured.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

Erik disentangled himself from Jerrod's limbs and got to his feet, his head aching from their fall. This landing had been worse than the last, this time Jerrod had landed on top of him. Jerrod pushed himself to his knees, his head bowed for a long moment. He had twisted his weakened ankle and he wasn't sure at all if he was going to be able to walk.

"Professor Warrington? We have to go." Erik said softly.

"Yes, I know." he answered, taking a shaky breath. "Just give me moment." He murmured, drawing his wand. He hesitated, and then looked at the boy. "On second thought, I want you to draw your wand, Erik. I'm lousy at this and need your help."

The boy hesitated. "My wand…? But Professor, I haven't been taught any healing spells."

"You'd be surprised what you can help with." He answered; he knew exactly what Erik had been trained in and some of that training would be indispensable right now. Severus Snape had not taken the knowledge from the boy, he had simply locked it away until he was shown the spells in the normal course of learning. It would make the child look like a prodigy, how quickly he and the others of the Dark Circle would master the spells. He didn't care if it made Snape angry at him, he knew that Erik had been taught spells that would help right now. "Draw your wand, Erik. Now."

The boy did not hesitate a moment further, drawing his wand. "What is it I must do?" he asked in a trusting voice.

"I will talk you through it." Jerrod assured. "I can't do it; if I tried I'd likely mangle it completely and do damage even a mediwizard couldn't undo." He turned to sit on his rump, arranging his leg with a pained expression. "All right, now point your wand here, at my ankle; yes, just like that." He slipped into his educational, encouraging mode. "Now repeat after me…"

He coached the boy through a healing lesson, simple bone knitting to repair the damage he had just done to his ankle. Erik performed the spell exactly as he should; the training he had as a toddler to young child had not been eliminated and he knew the movements the moment that he was shown. Surprise and wonder, two expressions that rarely touched Erik's face, warred across his expression for a moment before being replaced again with the typical Malfoy-esque stony mask.

When the spell was done Jerrod flexed it experimentally; it still hurt like bloody hell but he was sure it would bear his weight. He took a firm hold on his cane and forced himself back up onto his feet.

"I didn't hurt it more did I?" he asked softly, unsure of himself.

"Not at all, it'll be all right, Erik." He gave the boy a smirk. "Sometimes I think that you and Alyssa do nothing but worry about me."

"You're part of our circle, professor. We have to see to your welfare, you're one of us, you protect us and teach us. And you are Alyssa's father." He shrugged. "Besides, you don't worry enough about yourself to make any of us happy."

"I don't have to bother with any of that, Erik, you know that. I'm really not all that important." He shrugged in total self-dismissal, glancing up at the darkening sky. "There's really no time for this; we need to get moving." Determinedly he began limping forward, leaning heavier than before on his cane. They were at least a ten minute walk from Hogsmeade and from there it was a good walk up to the castle. Maybe they could arrange to take a carriage up to the castle; that would be brilliant.

Erik slipped his wand away and hurried after him without any further question, hoisting his duffel bag back up onto his shoulder.

Angel entered the compartment, buttoning the final button on her Hogwarts school uniform. "Hey, I like your uniform, Alerick." She smiled. "I'm sure that will look sharp no matter what house you end up in."

Alerick had changed while she was out of the compartment and had only moments ago returned to his place beside Mallek on the bench seat. "Oh, thanks. Lord Father Malfoy had it specially made." He said, brushing the fine silk smooth across his chest. "I'll be in Slytherin, naturally. All of us will be in Slytherin; it's just meant to be that way." He smiled at her. "But maybe one of the other Potter-Malfoy kids will be in Gryffindor with you."

"Well just be prepared; that silly hat does all kinds of things that surprise people. I heard it did a poem last year that was over ten minutes long." She giggled softly. "Its put people in houses they ddin't expect before this."

"I know where I'm going." He shrugged with a smile.

"Well, I can say I wouldn't mind if Astrid ends up in Gryffindor; she's turned out okay…" she said thoughtfully.

Mallek looked disgusted at the thought. "Anything but that. Ugh!" he said, rolling his eyes. "Astrid can't stop talking; since she found her tongue its all she does anymore is yap and yap… even if it doesn't make sense."

"I could put up with her or any of them… except for Lazlo." Alerick said, tugging at his sleeve to straighten it, frowning a bit. "He's still a bully and I really don't like him very much. He's supposed to start this year too, isn't he?"

"Yes, he came with my fathers and me, but he got straight on the train. I saw him; he's up in the first car with a group of other first years. He didn't want to come over and talk to you two and my fathers let him go on his own." She shrugged.

"Doesn't hurt my feelings in the slightest." Alerick assured.

"He's avoided the two of you for years now. He'll play with Alyssa but he has never wanted anything to do with the rest of your group since he stole that ball and Erik hurt him."

Mallek frowned softly. "Erik hurt him…? I don't remember that…"

"You were just a baby when it happened; I really would have been surprised if you had remembered. And I don't even believe Erik really remembers doing it at all. He never did anything like that again."

"Like what?" Mallek asked.

"He said a spell… sounded like serpent or something, and when he used his wand it cut up Lazlo real bad. That's where he got the scars on his face and chest."

"Erik did that…?"

"Yes. I remember it really clearly, it was awful. But papa knew how to reverse the spell and help him."

"If Erik did that then he must know a spell that does it."

"I think Professor Snape had something to do with him forgetting. I'm not sure what he did or how, I'm sorry I can't tell you more. Nonno says I ask too many questions when I try to find out what happened, but I remember a little…" her voice drifted off, and she sighed.

"Maybe I can get more from Lord Father Malfoy." Mallek murmured softly.

"Anyway, I hope he acts differently at school." Angel said, changing the subject back to their current sibling. She shrugged. "You know, I wouldn't be too certain about what house you're going to be in; remember, the hat has to choose." She reminded, moving to the window to gaze out a minute at the darkened scenery moving past at a blur. "We're nearly at the station." She said.

"Are we…?" Alerick looked out also and could see nothing at all, just dark wooded landscape; lots of trees and deep shadows. "I really don't see anything at all."

Mallek glanced at Alerick, and then back at Angel. He had never been able to put his full trust in Angel like he did those who were inside the circle. They all had matching tattoos and they all responded when he desired something; Angel just didn't fit in right with the rest of them no matter if Alerick and Alyssa seemed to trust her implicitly. He simply had little faith in her ability or willingness to give her all for any of them. All that aside, he could see no harm in asking her; to see if - just maybe - he was wrong about her. "Angel, will you… I mean, I would like for you to please stay with Alerick." Mallek suggested, his tone hopeful.

Her hesitation raised his hopes but he found them dashed. "You know, Mallek, I really wish that I could, but I know they won't allow it." She answered apologetically.

His face darkened. "They? Who the bloody hell gets to tell students what to do?"

"Teachers, of course." She answered. "The older students ride in carriages to the castle, and that is where I have to go. All the first years go together on the boats across the black lake. It's very interesting and you get a fantastic first view of the castle that way. I just know that Alerick will enjoy it…"

"I'll be all right, really. You needn't worry, Mallek." Alerick tried to reassure him.

"It's not all right, Alerick! You'll be alone, and you should never be!" He said with a scowl. "And Lazlo will be on those boats too. How am I to be sure he doesn't shove you into the water?"

"That won't happen. He won't be alone at all, Mallek." Angel tried to reassure him. "There'll be a teacher with him the whole time. I'll be in the Great Hall at my table when he comes in with the others to be sorted." She explained.

"He shouldn't be alone at all." Mallek grumbled, hoping that the plan was well in motion. He had been right; Angel would be of no help to the Circle this time around. His thoughts were interrupted by the unmistakable feel of the train slowing considerably. He felt nervous, suddenly. "I guess we're here."

"Yes." Angel stood and reached for her bags. "Do you see Nonno on the platform? He said he would meet you there."

Mallek leaned to peer out the window; he couldn't even see the platform yet as the train was rounding the last curve. "I can't see the platform yet. But I'm sure he is." He said, his feeling of nervousness compounding. "Are you certain he wasn't angry?"

"It's hard to say with Nonno, he hides it so well. I think he was actually a little angry but he was really happy that you weren't hurt. I did tell him more than once that you didn't mean to do it." Angel answered.

Mallek sighed softly and rose as the train slowly rolled to a halt. He hesitated and hugged Alerick one last time. "Alerick… letting you go is the hardest thing I have ever done." He murmured to him.

Angel turned and gathered her things. "I'll just see you at the banquet, Alerick." She said quietly, not expecting any response. She might not have been there at all, for all the attention they paid to her as she slipped out of the cabin to give them a few more moments.

These two might be young, but it had become abundantly clear to anyone with eyes that the pair seemed to be just in love as Harry and Draco were.

Alerick simply held his Prince for several long minutes, trying to ignore the passage of time and the fact that it sounded like all the other students had already disembarked. "It's hard for me too." He whispered. "But we have to go; Lord Father Malfoy will be waiting." Alerick murmured softly, holding Mallek tightly a moment then reluctantly letting go.

"I don't want to face him." Mallek murmured, gazing up at Alerick a moment. He sighed and opened the door of the compartment, taking the lead. There were a few stragglers left but neither of them paid any attention. Mallek led the way to the first of the train doors and pushed it open, not happy about what he was going to have to face but knowing there was no way to avoid it.

************AUTHOR'S NOTE**********

Sorry about the delay for the next chapter; it will be up soon.

Hope you all are having a fantastic year!


	6. Facing Father Lucius

Lucius watched the shining red engine puff and wheeze its way into the station. The train seemed to crawl as it slowed to a halt. Every car seemed to have eager young faces pressed against the glass, watching and staring out at the castle that loomed off in the distance behind the station.

He watched them pass, taking a moment to be intensely grateful that he had never felt the calling to be a teacher. He thought for sure that he would have gone mad as a teacher. Being a father was work enough; he felt he had no patience for that sort of work.

Small wonder that Severus had given teaching up so easily. Certainly the conviction of parents that he had been a Death Eater, corrupt and evil, had helped him in his choice to abandon the profession. Helping infants in Lucius' opinion was infinitely more satisfying. Newborn babies didn't cop attitudes, they didn't talk back at you or throw things, and they did not pout. Tiny babies were just happy to receive any sort of attention, remain clean and dry, and to be fed.

His mind wandered to his home and all the children living there. He could not remember when he had felt more fulfilled in his life. His house was finally a true home, full of the laughter of children, and he and Narcissa were more than content.

He had been concerned at first how his son and son-in-law were going to handle it all; that had been why he had insisted they remain at the manor. They had surprised him, though; Harry and Draco had taken up the challenge of parenting with a vengeance. Having no children and suddenly being presented with nine was a challenge for even someone with an insane drive for mothering, but the two of them had managed.

The children were taken on daily walks from the manor out to the playground for exercise whether it was rain or shine; it took some time to garb them in the muggle clothing that Harry insisted they must have. Rain slickers and rain boots for each child took a while to get on and organize. The playground was, of course, warmed and dry all throughout the year and anyone walking in would commonly find an adult pushing on swings, helping balance on brooms, or running along in a merry game of catch-me.

Sweet little Angel was proud to be the eldest and had eagerly taken on the role of big sister to all of them. She happily helped Narcissa and Draco to tend to the needs of the babies. The other older children participated with the family as their personalities allowed; the one who did the least was Lazlo.

Young Lazlo sat around as much as he could, bossing others about and trying to enforce his position as he saw it within the family with his fists whenever the grownups were not watching. So far, the discipline they had administered to the lad had little effect other than to make him sulk for hours or days. Usually he had avoided the children of the Dark Circle as much as he was able, but he had learned years ago not to mess with Erik and Erin, or even to be around Mallek. He played with Alyssa occasionally, and there was the one time he decided to see if he could bully her like he did some of the others. It took only moments for him to learn not to do that to Alyssa, though; she drew her wand and cast a bat-bogey hex on him so perfectly that he ran screaming from it for nearly an hour. Ginerva Weasley had certainly taught her niece well how to use that particular little jinx, and to spectacular effect as well.

Lucius himself had changed greatly from the man that Draco had known as his own father. He spent every moment he could with his own children and had surprised his son by assisting with the grandchildren as well. The children of the Dark Circle had required extra attention; he had found himself having to sometimes leave the care of the younger ones in his wife's capable hands as he took care of the needs of those five.

This year Lazlo and Alerick were on their way to Hogwarts. Next year would see Alyssa, Erik, and Erin on their way, as well as Alexander Jugson, one of the few Potter children returned to their mothers following the seizure of the children. The year after would bring Tristin Baddock, one of Draco's children who had gone home. The next year he would be putting Mallek, Astrid, Fallon and Camilla; it would almost be an invasion of Draco-Malfoys, filling Hogwarts. Too soon after that, his twins would be riding as well as young James and the two youngest, Marcus and Donovan. The house would be horribly empty and echoing again. He was NOT looking forward to that. They needed more babies in the house.

He hoped that his daughter would decide to finally come back and rejoin the family when Damitri had managed to reunite them but she had been well indoctrinated with stories of the Malfoy clan. She still believed some of the rot she had been told, and though Lucius was grateful for the man who had swept her away and raised her to a beautiful woman, he was angry at him for turning her against him and almost destroying his chances of renewing his bond with her.

Severus had accompanied him to Hogwarts today, but had gone on to the castle to leave Lucius to his fathering duties. He had delayed Lucius for a time, having to make a short trip home because of problems in his household again.

Lucius hadn't quite been able to make out what had been going on, but there had been an awful lot of crashing going on in the background when Lupin had fire-called, asking him to hurry home. Although he had not been told what was going on by Severus, he had some idea. The boy took after his father in far too many ways; there had been little that Severus had been able to do to prevent the boy from breaking into his potions lab. He suspected the lad had been in there again, mucking about.

The reluctant squeal of the brakes on the train brought Lucius' mind back to the present and the train. Mallek should be getting off any moment. Lucius half-expected that the boy would try to sneak past him somehow and make his way into the castle. He had better not try that; if he did there would be hell to pay.

He watched as all the other children began to disembark from the cars of the train, many giving him curious looks but mostly ignoring him, chattering excitedly as they moved on their way. He saw Angel disembark and waved to him; he smiled and raised a hand in greeting as well. He then saw Lazlo get off at the front of the train. He heard the call for first years to gather before he finally spotted who he was looking for; Mallek stepped off the next to the last train car with Alerick close behind him.

The dark-haired boy hugged his friend once more, and then Alerick turned to Lucius, walking hand-in-hand with Mallek. "Lord Father Malfoy, it wasn't his fault…"

"You are being summoned, Alerick. Don't shame your family by ignoring your responsibilities." Lucius said sternly, flicking his eyes momentarily to where the other first year students were being led away.

"I… yes, Lord Father." He said quietly. He gave Mallek's hand one last squeeze of reassurance then hurried off.

Lucius watched the boy go before he turned his full attention on the younger boy, his eyes narrow. He said nothing; he wanted to see exactly what Mallek would have to say for himself without prompting.

The boy drew a deep breath and sighed softly. "I wanted to, Lord Father Malfoy. I won't deny it." Mallek admitted, not meeting his foster father's eyes. "I desperately wanted to go with Alerick, but I promise you I did not do it on purpose." He spoke quietly to let his father know that he was quite sincere with every word he said.

Lucius remained silent until Mallek finally built up the courage to meet his eyes. He kept his face cool and impassive, properly composed. He gazed at the lad and saw only frank honesty; no deception was on that face. "I believe you." He answered quietly.

Relief suffused Mallek's face. "You do?"

"Yes. Now, if you don't mind, I have been away from the twins more than long enough. It is time to go home." He commented.

"Um… Lord Father…? Since we're here, could we go for the sorting…?" Mallek ventured hopefully.

"No." Lucius answered without hesitation. "You are to come directly home with me. You've had quite enough of an adventure for someone not due to be on that train for another three years." His voice was stern and it was clear that he would brook no arguments at all.

"Yes, Lord Father Malfoy." Mallek bowed his head, giving one last glance in the direction Alerick had gone, but the older boy was no longer in sight.

-.

"There it is." Warrington said, his limp quite pronounced by the time that he and Erik approached the wrought iron gate that blocked the entryway to the castle. It was buttressed by two statues of flying boars, poised to take off in flight.

Keeping up the pace he had forced upon himself had definitely aggravated his injuries and he was sweating with the effort of simply continuing to drive himself forward. He had been unable to find a carriage, as all seemed to have been taken up to the castle already. The great gates were closed, but the spires of Hogwarts were visible just beyond them. "We're in time; the first year students should be crossing the Black Lake right about now. They'll get off the boats at the dock at the foot of the castle. That's where I need to get you to." He said, moving up to the castle gate. He drew his wand, trying to remember what he had to do to open these gates.

"Jerrod…? Is that you…?" A familiar voice made him turn; Ronald Weasley was walking up the path with his daughter, Rose. Both looked rather windblown and were carrying their broomsticks comfortably. It was obvious that they had flown in rather than ride the train.

Warrington sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. He really had no desire to be sociable today; he was hurting too damned much. It really didn't matter where he went nowadays, it didn't matter what he did. He always ended up surrounded by damned Weasleys; he just couldn't escape them. "Good evening, Mr. Weasley." He answered in a flat tone.

His response made Ron chuckle. "I really don't understand why you insist on being so formal, Jerrod. I must have told you a dozen times at least, call me Ron. After all, you're practically family..."

"I am not. I haven't bonded with your brother. Your mother and brothers seem to have conveniently forgotten that fact; only your father seems to notice I have refused to take that step. Even George conveniently forgets we are not bonded and assumes he has more rights and privileges than I am willing to allow." He grumbled irritably.

"We know you haven't bonded, but we're still family. After all, you have a daughter with my brother." He reminded with a chuckle.

"Yes, a child that was conceived through medical and magical means, not in the usual manner of conception." He reminded, glancing at Rose Weasley. He didn't know how much the girl knew, but he was getting bloody tired of all of this. "But I could never forget about Alyssa." He snorted.

"No sooner than I could forget my Rosie." Ron agreed, giving his daughter a squeeze. She smiled up at him, her face clearly showing her love for her father. "But I've bonded with Blaise and its made things much easier for Hermione and myself, to tell the truth. You really should consider it, you know." He answered with a soft grin.

"And that has to be the hundred-thousandth time I've been given that advice." Jerrod scowled.

"Be that as it may, you need to think about it. As for George, I think I know my brother a bit better than you do. And I can definitely say that I know how stubborn he is."

"I can be stubborn too." Jerrod retorted. "I told him the first time we spoke, I told him every damned day and I'll keep telling him that I have no intention of bonding. I don't want to be bonded to him or anyone else. Ever."

"Why not? You two are always together, ever since he found out that Alyssa was the product of the two of you. He's quite proud of his daughter."

"Do you think I haven't noticed that I can't shake the man?" he grumped.

"I'd point out that you're being rather dense, but who am I to say anything about being blind? It took me five years to notice Hermione." Ron smirked, his arm around his daughter's shoulders.

"You should hear the stories mum tells about how she tried to get his attention." Rosie giggled.

"Spare me. I saw plenty during school, I haven't forgotten." He answered as politely as he could to the girl.

Ron seemed to just notice who Jerrod was escorting. He eyed Erik. "I thought this was the year only Alerick was coming. If I remember right, you weren't due to go until next year." He said thoughtfully.

"I'm to attend this year, sir. I didn't make it to the train station." Erik said, putting as much truth into the words as possible by simply avoiding any sort of lie. After all, his Prince had ordered him to attend and he had not gone to the train station. What could be more truthful?

"Hm, well, I guess not, since you're here at the gate." Ron said, drawing his wand. Jerrod, quite relieved and willing to allow Weasley to open the gate, slid his wand away.

Ron pointed his wand at the boar on the right and murmured the security words; the gate immediately began to swing open. "There we are. After you, Jerrod old bean." He said, gesturing at the opening.

"Manners are lost on me; you ought to know that by now, Weasley." Jerrod grunted, glancing at Erik. "Look, my ankle is really bothering me today. Can you take him in for me? I really have to get back…"

"You should come inside if you're hurting. Maybe you should see the nurse in the hospital wing before you go." Ron said, looking worried.

His expression of concern just set off Jerrod even more; he was beginning to hate Weasleys in general, especially today. "For Merlin's sake, stop being so damned worried about me! I don't need anyone's pity!"

"We're not pitying you, Mr. Warrington; we just know how much Uncle George cares about you. We all just want you to be taken care of if you're hurt." Rosie said, her eyes glistening with faint tears, worry clear in her expression.

Jerrod glanced at the girl and her expression of worry did what it always did to him; he couldn't hold on to his anger. Little girls had always disarmed him and it had only gotten worse over the years. All his anger ran out of him like so much water. "I'm all right. I know I can make it home." He said in a softer, soothing tone.

"I'd feel better if you went to the medical wing…" she said.

He sighed softly. "There's really no need; I just saw a medi-wizard this morning. I'll go into the castle and use the floo network to get back to Malfoy Manor instead of using apparition; that will put less strain on my ankle. Does that sound all right to you?"

"Well, okay…" Rosie said reluctantly.

"She's right, you know." Ron said as the four of them headed through the gate toward the castle. Although it clearly irritated Jerrod, the two redheads remained with them, pacing themselves to stay with the other two. "George is really serious about you, mate. He's even stopped dating other people. I think he's really serious this time."

"This time?" Jerrod jumped on the wording. He'd always suspected that George was a flighty guy and not real dedicated to anything. "So this is what, his fifth? Sixth…?"

"You mean to really get serious? Honestly, this is the first time he's ever been serious about anyone." Ron answered.

That caught Jerrod by surprise and he stumbled a bit, jarring his ankle and making him grimace; he immediately hid the expression so as to keep Rose from getting worried again. "What…?"

"It's true. Uncle George hasn't brought anyone else to any of the family parties in years." Rosie answered with a shy smile.

"I only go because of Alyssa." Jerrod said quietly.

"I think he's dead serious about you, old boy." Ron repeated. "He's always just played around, dated even while he was seeing someone before. This time is different. He hasn't even looked at anyone else. Look, I know how much of a pain in the bum my brother can be, but you really ought to think seriously about him as a possible partner." Ron suggested.

"I'm not serious about anyone as a partner." Warrington said crossly.

"Just think about it. Sometime things happen for a reason. Maybe Alyssa was meant to bring the two of you together."

"Look, Weasley." Jerrod growled at him. "I'm not in a good mood and you're not helping worth a bloody damn. If you don't stop harassing me about your brother there's going to be hell to pay. Don't make me act the ass in front of your daughter." He warned.

"All right, all right." He chuckled. "I'll let George do the harassment."

"He does quite enough." He grumbled, pulling out his pocket watch and opening it as they made their way around the castle toward the lake. He gazed at it a moment, confirming by the view that his daughter was still safe on Malfoy lands, talking with Erin inside the tent. He closed it and slipped it away, not quite sure how he was going to accomplish the next step of the plan.

"Let's go in, dad. I want you to take something with you for Mom…" Rosie said, moving to take Ron's hand.

"That's my cue. Have a safe trip home, Jerrod." Ron said, taking his daughter's hand as well.

Warrington was not unhappy to see Ron leave with his daughter. He forced himself to pick up the pace once Ron was out of sight, grimacing from pain yet ignoring it as he had taught himself to do. If he wasn't wearing these dragon-hide boots he definitely would have been unable to continue by now. Erik was forced to break into a trot to keep up as they descended a flight of stairs, becoming winded with his duffel bag over his back and the effort of keeping up.

The black lake came into view, and they could see that the boats were just coming in to dock when they reached the last set of stairs. Warrington finally allowed himself to stop, leaning heavily on the rail. "There… we made it. You just go on down, I'd raise suspicion if I came along.. Just go in, blend with them." he advised. "You can see him now, Alerick is just there; in the fourth boat with those three darkhaired girls."

"I see him. Thank you, Professor." Erik said, hurrying onward without further comment.

Warrington stood watching him, feeling the compulsion fading from his conscious mind. He had done as he had been commanded, he was now free to do as he wished; and all he wanted was to go home and soak his throbbing ankle.


	7. Purebloods

Alerick stepped off the boat, gazing up at the spires of the castle high above him. Father Lucius had brought him here during the summer break so he would feel more comfortable and be aware of his new surroundings. He was finally eleven and at his first year; this was _his_ time; he was to pave the way and ready the rest of the world for his prince.

"Have you got family here already?" a voice behind him asked.

He turned to see one of the girls that had ridden with him in the boat standing just behind him. Her hair was black and wavy and her skin dark, though her eyes were startlingly blue.

"Yes, I have a cousin who started last year, and another who is starting this year…" he answered.

"That must be nice… I feel like a total fish out of water." She said as smiled softly and offered him her hand. "My name is Tanya Culliver."

Alerick hesitated, then took her hand and bowed over it formally. "I am Alerick Malfoy." He introduced himself.

She giggled, blushing a little. "Wow." She said as he straightened again. "Its nice to meet you, Alerick." She said, gazing up at the spires of the castle looming over them. "I never thought I'd be anywhere like this, I got my letter a week ago and mum and dad were so shocked…"

That statement confused Alerick. "Why would they be shocked?" he had to ask.

She looked back at him with a smile. "We haven't had a witch in the family before. I'm the first we've ever had." She said.

"Really? I come from a long line of wizards myself. My father, grandfather, great-grandfather all attended this school. I've known I was coming here since I was around five years old." Alerick replied, matter-of-factly.

"You're so lucky… this is all so new to me. I'd never even heard of Hogwarts before last week, and I'm so nervous…" she admitted with a smile.

"_I_ heard that girls like you don't make it, sometimes." Another girl commented in a nasty, biting tone. The girl was tall and slim; her hair was deep black with a tint of blue to it on the tips, pulled up in a very stylish and fashionable bun with tendrils framing her pale face.

"Like me…? What do you mean?" Tanya asked, clearly nervous.

"You know, don't you? Being from a purebred wizarding family, you certainly must have heard." she commented conspiratorially, giving him some modicum of respect. She looked the dark-skinned girl up and down, a sneer touching her lips. "After all, she's not a _real_ witch." The look on her face made Alerick's stomach curdle.

"What's that supposed to mean? I got the letter; I'm a witch..." Tanya began.

"You aren't from a wizarding family. Bad things happen to non-wizarding folk when they stick their noses in where they don't belong." She said cooly, giving a knowing grin to her companion, a boy who looked a lot like her with brown hair and eyes that stood to her left.

"Really bad things." That boy said in a serious tone.

"And the testing is a lot harder for them." She tsk'd her tongue. "Poor little muggle-born…"

Alerick did not like this in the least. He knew bullying when he saw it. He wouldn't put up with it from his own cousin, he had no intention of putting up with it now. "Excuse me, but you're quite mistaken. There's no test." Alerick interrupted her in a calm tone.

"What? Of course there is." She answered. "Don't tell me that they didn't tell you about it…"

Alerick simply frowned a little; he would not allow this ridiculous girl on her pureblood kick to see that she had irritated him at all. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "There's nothing to tell. You're just making stories up to try to frighten muggle born witches like Miss Culliver here."

"You're a first year just like everyone else here." She shot back. "You don't know more than we do."

"Wrong again. You see, I have relatives attending already, and I know they don't lie to me. There's no test for her to worry about." He cut her off. "Why don't you just go play your silly little bullying games somewhere else."

"This isn't a game, Malfoy." She said, her tone definitely taking on a threatening tone.

"We both know it is." He returned. Alerick met her challenging gaze without faltering. He was the Dark Prince's consort. He had no intention of backing down, not to common-born witches or wizards like these two undoubtedly were. He wasn't about to start out his year here baring his throat to anyone.

"It's okay, Alerick, she's not worth it." Tanya said, tugging at his sleeve as the two of them took a step toward him, their posture clearly menacing.

"You're right about that; she's not worth it." He said agreeably and the pair bristled. The boy clenched his fists. "Neither one of them are, come to think about it."

"You think you're untouchable just because you're a Malfoy?" she asked in a growl.

"No one is untouchable." The boy said, growling as well.

Alerick did not allow them to see any fear in his eyes at all. "I believe we're not to use magic until our classes. Don't force me to teach you a lesson." He retorted. To Tanya's amazement, the two halted and even took half a step away from him.

"Are these two bothering you, Alerick?" A soft-spoken voice growled from just behind him. He didn't have to turn around, though Tanya did. He knew that Erik had arrived and just in the nick of time. At ten years old, Erik was nearly half a head taller than Alerick. With the imbibing of the aging potion he had gained another two inches and the bulk and muscle mass to go with it. His wand was already in his hand and he was glaring at the two.

Alerick smiled. "Not really, Erik. These two were just leaving." He folded his arms. "Weren't you?" he asked cooly as he eyed the two. Without a word, they stepped back and melted back into the group of kids. Alerick turned and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Excellent timing, Erik."

Erik shrugged self-deprecatingly, but he grinned softly at the praise.

"Yeah. Thanks a bunch." Tanya smiled at him as well. Erik looked at her and his smile faded a bit, simply staring at her. Her own smile faltered, unsure, but she felt herself blushing as she looked away.

"First years? All first year students gather round." A teacher called. He was standing at the head of the stairs, his dark grey robes doing little to hide the fact that although he was tall he was also quite portly. He had wide-set brown eyes and a face that clearly had shown many more smiles than frowns to judge by the lines on his face. "Come along now, you mustn't dawdle…"

"We'd better go." Alerick said, turning to follow instructions. Erik shouldered his large duffel bag and turned to follow in mute compliance.


	8. The Plan Exposed

Alerick stood at the base of the stairs, feeling his stomach flutter with nerves such as he had never experienced before. He had already made enemies here. That witch and her little grunt had both gone to Slytherin; he would be in a world of trouble on his own. He was truly fortunate Erik was here because he just knew they'd be after him all year.

He watched as Tonya stepped up onto the dais and took a seat on the stool as the others had before her. She looked up at the hat as the manky old thing was placed on her head. A moment of silence passed before the hat sang out "Ravenclaw!"

Applause rose from the Ravenclaw table and she slipped down off the stool, giving Alerick a wink as she hurried past. "Good luck!" she whispered.

"Thanks." He murmured.

"Alerick Malfoy." Professor Justucky called out, reading the next name on his list of new students. Alerick moved up and took his place on the stool, feeling more nervous than ever. He had to get into Slytherin even if those two pureblood fools were there. He and his Prince belonged in Slytherin; it was meant to be. He had to be there. There was truly no other choice. Several minutes passed with no word from the thing. He stared up at the brim, feeling confused. What was taking so long? It certainly hadn't taken this long for any of the others so far…

"Strong mind, good capacity for learning, brave to a fault, compliant…" a voice murmured in his head.

"What's all this rubbish?" he murmured softly, then realized it must be the voice of this manky old hat. "Slytherin house. It has to be Slytherin; its the only choice…" he thought as firmly as he could.

Silence again, then, "Gryffindor!" the hat finally called out and Alerick froze, eyes wide and staring as applause arose from the Gryffindor table to welcome their new member.

"Ah, there you are. Congratulations my lad; off you go now…" The teacher beamed at him.

Alerick looked at him and frowned. "No, sir. It's not right. It's made a mistake. It's completely wrong. Make the hat do it again."

The teacher stared at him in dumbfounded surprise. "Make it…? My boy, we don't make the hat do anything…" he began, unsure.

"Its WRONG, sir. I don't belong in Gryffindor." The applause was dying off and people were making confused noises, but he didn't care. "Make it do it again, if you please!"

Several at the Slytherin table were snickering now, including that bully girl and her friend. "He doesn't want to be a Gryffindor!" she tittered to her flunky.

At the Gryffindor table, there was confusion but some anger at him for trying to refuse their house. "What, we're not good enough for you Malfoy?" he heard someone mutter.

"Step down, young man. You have been sorted into your house and we have five more students to sort before anyone is allowed to eat. Step down!" Professor Justucky ordered.

"If you are unable to do anything, I assure you I MUST speak to the headmaster…" Alerick began. He knew where to go but he was unsure how well he, as a first year student, would be listened to.

"You may do whatever you wish, young man, AFTER you get down from that stool and allow us to finish the sorting." He returned, taking the hat off Alerick's head.

Alerick hesitated, then slowly slipped down, feeling completely dazed.

Gryffindor. Merlin help him, he was a Gryffindor.

How had this happened? He was supposed to be Slytherin! He numbly allowed his feet to carry him down off the dias.

He hardly noticed Erik until the taller boy placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It will be alright, Alerick." He assured, though he did look a little concerned about the blonde boy.

He gave Erik a faint smile in gratitude that he was there, and then moved slowly to the Gryffindor table. Several people mumbled greetings and a few simply watched him move to their table, without any word in greeting. Angel had made room beside her for him; he walked to her side and sat down there in silence, still in shock, his eyes downcast.

"It's all right, Alerick; grandfather didn't say you had to be in Slytherin…" she said in a soft, reassuring tone.

"I know, but… my prince… Mallek. I have to be there for him but I won't…" he began, trying to explain. It had all gone horribly wrong. If he could not get the headmaster to allow him a second sorting, it was all wrong…

She put a comforting hand over his. "We don't know that he won't be with us too." She reasoned.

His dark spiraling thoughts halted, a glimmer of light allowed in by her reassurance. Could they still be together in Gryffindor? Of course they could… he was in Slytherin, so Mallek could be as well…"You think so…?" he looked at her hopefully.

Angel smiled and nodded. "Of course; he'll be sorted the same as us. It could happen. Many kids here who have family who came before end up in the same house. I know it happened with Rosie's family, all the Weasleys have been Gryffindors."

He took a deep breath, and then let it out. There was no use stressing out over it; he had to eat to keep his strength in balance. He would speak to the headmaster and see what he could do to change things; until then he had no choice but to accept the current situation. "All right; we'll just have to wait and see. Until then I will do my best at whatever task is set to me."

"Look, its Lazlo's turn." She said, and Alerick looked to see Lazlo sit on the stool.

The teacher paused and then set the hat on the sandy-haired boy's head. It was there only a moment before the hat called out "Slytherin!" Lazlo glanced at the teacher then slipped off the stool and hurried to his new table with barely a glance at his family.

"Well that's a relief." Angel commented. "To be honest, I was afraid he'd get into Hufflepuff."

"That could have been horrible." Alerick murmured.

"Only one more to be sorted." Rosie said, sliding in on the other side of Alerick.

"Yes, Erik's next…"

Professor Justucky consulted his list then looked at Erik who stood quietly waiting to be sorted. "And who are you, son? I don't have you on my list."

"My name, Professor Justucky, is Erik Malfoy." He performed a flawless formal bow without removing his eyes from those of the teacher. "I need to be sorted today, sir." He said quietly as he straightened. He had sent his duffel bag with one of the house elves earlier so he would not have to lug it about, he just needed a house now.

"Erik Malfoy?" he frowned, reading through the list again. "I don't see…"

The boy started up the steps and moved to the stool. "I need to be sorted." He repeated.

"Just a moment, young man." Headmaster Minerva McGonogall rose to her feet, frowning. "Let me see that, Joshtin." She said, holding her hand out to the professor as she approached them.

Erik simply ignored her and took his place on the stool.

McGonogall gave the dark-haired boy a cross look and took the list, reading through the names. "We have already seated our only Malfoy for this year. Tell me, young man, did you receive your placement letter?"

Erik was ready with the answer; he and his sister had practiced this for days. "There was a mistake, Headmaster; I did not receive one."

"Everyone gets a letter when they are due to attend." She frowned, looking at the list once more.

"I'm supposed to be here." He answered doggedly.

"You will not be sorted until we determine why you are not on the list." She informed him.

"The hat chose for everyone else. Why shouldn't it choose for me? I'm the same as anyone else here, why should I be treated differently than the rest of the first year students? You wouldn't want it said that you have a prejudice against the Malfoy family, Headmaster." Erik said.

"I have no such prejudice!" she insisted immediately, growing more irritated and angry. This boy was definitely a Malfoy, full of himself and sure he was going to have everything he wished.

"Then let the hat decide. I know I'm not the first one to show up here without a letter. My cousin researched it before I came; there have been five times in the past that students have shown up and had no letter."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Researched this, have you?"

"I wanted to be sure you'd let me in without the letter." He shrugged innocently. Again, the truth had been his best defense. Of course, four of them had been from other countries, but he wasn't going to tell them that.

"This is highly unusual…" She frowned.

"If you don't mind, headmaster; I really am hungry." Erik added, hoping to spur her into motion. This was taking far too long and everyone was staring. He was unaccustomed to being the center of attention, but would bear it for this one day. This was not for himself, but for his prince.

"What do we do?" Professor Justucky asked urgently, looking worried.

Headmaster McGonogall shrugged. "Why not? Put the hat on the boy." She instructed. Erik did not smile, simply waiting for the hat to be put on his head.

The professor hesitated. "Are you sure…?"

"Must I do it?" she asked, reaching for the hat with a very cross expression on her wizened face.

"No, of course, I…" he stepped forward and placed the hat on Erik's head.

Erik waited for the hat to call out something as it had with all the other kids but instead he seemed to hear a voice speak in his head.

"You are here but this is wrong; you are one that does not belong." The hat's irritating singsong voice sounded just above his ears. He looked at the teachers but no one was reacting; it was talking only to him. The professor and Headmaster were watching in silence, waiting.

"If you know that, then you also know that I must be here. I am his protection; I am to be here…" he thought back at it, wondering if somehow it would hear him.

"Those who attend here are of proper age; you have not reached that stage." It returned.

"If I am young, it is only by three weeks. I am nearly eleven. You must allow me to attend. I know more than most first years know. I have been trained and tutored all my life, especially for this day. You have to put me in a house. You must put me in Gryffindor, I have to protect him. There are students already who intend him harm. I must protect him."

"As much as you feel this n your heart I fear that this protection is not yours to give this year."

"You must…! Please, please just put me in Gryffindor and I will study, I will study very hard…"

"You do not have Gryffindor inside of you. You are meant for another house."

Erik focused all his attention on his one desire. "Gryffindor. Gryffindor House. You must place me in Gryffindor, please, Gryffindor…"

This time the hat spoke aloud. "Headmaster, this student is too young. He must return next year."

"As I suspected." She said, picking the hat off Erik's head even as he snatched at it. She handed the hat to Professor Justucky, and then turned to the tables. "Let the feast begin." She said in a clear tone, and the tables were filled with golden plates of food. McGonogall then turned back to face the boy. "Step down, young man. You are to be returned to your home." She told him,

"No." Erik glared at her, though he did step down off the stool. "I will be remaining here."

She raised her eyebrows. "The decision has been made, young man. You will not be attending classes this year. Now come along with me." She ordered.

"You don't understand…" he began.

"I understand better than you might believe." She answered. "Now, you will follow me. I will be escorting you home myself. We'll just discuss with Lucius just where you're supposed to be."

Erik's expression darkened with anger, his fists clenching at his sides. "You don't understand, you MUST let me stay. I have to…"

"Silence!" she hissed the command, and Erik found he was unable to speak. "Now. You will follow me."

-.

Lucius Malfoy stood just beyond view of the house, his arms folded. "All right, I'm waiting." He announced.

Six year old Remus Severus glanced at his father from several yards away, then took a deep breath. He'd been practicing this for weeks… and he really wanted to show what he had learned. He held out his hand and his broom leapt into his hand, then he jumped up and swung it under him to take off. He grinned and pulled back, leaning in close to the sleek broomstick his father had just bought him, accelerating and shooting skyward first with his blonde hair streaming behind his head. He then did a sharp bank and flew directly past his father, missing him by only inches, sending his robes flying to the side with the wind from his passing.

The elder wizard chuckled softly, quite impressed. Young Remus had taken to his flying lessons just as Draco had; the boy was simply a natural. He watched as the boy then pulled back sharply, executed a loop, slowing somewhat in speed as he began flying once more toward his father across the yard. Lucius tensed slightly at the next move the boy made, one hand resting on his hidden wand. He hiked up his feet, planted first one foot upon the handle of the broom, then the other. He raised his rump and released the broom, balancing on only his feet as he slowed to stop about a foot from his father, the broom holding him just at eye level with him.

"Bravo, son. Excellent." Lucius smiled, reaching out and plucking the boy off the broom to give him a tender embrace.

Remmy laughed and hugged him back. "I've practiced all week on standing on the broom. I did it just a foot from the ground at first, but it's not hard to do anymore…"

"Just be sure to be particularly careful with your new moves; your mother doesn't want you doing such outlandish stunts on your broom." He cautioned.

Remus Severus looked confused. "That's just silly, father. My trainer says I'm ready for it. Why can't I?"

"No matter how old you get, my strong and brave young lad, your mother will still think of you as her little one." He answered.

"But I'm SIX now, father…"

"I know. But you must remember; I did not say not to practice them, I told you to simply be very careful." He corrected. "And don't let your mother see you do them."

"All right father… I'll practice out beyond the barn." Remmy smiled at his father and hugged him again.

Lucius chuckled. "So where has your sister run off to? Has she slipped back out to the barn again?"

"Yes, she loves that baby hippogriff she got for her birthday." He answered, rolling his eyes.

Lucius never would have believed that any offspring of his would be as addicted to animals as that half-breed giant back at Hogwarts had been, but his daughter Lilly was not far from that level. She loved every animal she ever saw, and the more dangerous it was it seemed she found it more adorable. "It does seem to be a well-trained little creature."

"He ought to be; she spends every waking moment with him." He chuckled.

"Master Malfoy…" a squeaky voice sounded at his side and Lucius set down his son. "You is having a visitor…"

"A visitor?" Lucius frowned. "Show them into the study; I will be along shortly."

Without another word, the house elf bowed to the ground and vanished.

Lucius frowned at that behavior; the elves only did that when they knew he was about to be infuriated over something. Who the bloody hell was here that would make his excellent mood turn foul?


	9. Disciplining the Dark Prince

When he had arrived home he had immediately shucked off his clothing and hobbled into a therapeutic bath to try to undo some of the damage he had undoubtedly done to himself today. He'd been here over an hour now and had already fallen asleep twice. Suddenly Jerrod gasped in pain, clinging a moment to his left arm, staring at the myriad of scars interlaced here from every binding that had been placed upon his body and soul.

He gazed at his arm and it seemed that the newest binding scars were writhing, burning with pain. He knew what that meant; he'd felt that many times when he was bound to Malcolm Parkinson. He hadn't felt it yet with Lucius Malfoy, but there wasn't any difference at all. The one who had bound him was demanding his presence and if he did not comply he knew it would only get worse.

Bloody hell.

Had the plan been exposed so quickly…? Damn that McGonogall, she had to have been the one to stop Erik. Such a picky old hag even while he had been in school; he had been afraid that this would happen, but the Dark Prince's He had been sure that everything was going to work. It was all so precisely planned…

He needed to get moving, no matter how much he hurt right now. Jerrod dragged himself out of the still steaming therapeutic hot tub, forcing his throbbing ankle to support his weight one more time. He could not say no to the summons of Lucius Malfoy, regardless of how much he wanted to.

Without bothering to dry off, he reached for his robes and dragged them on with his hands shaking with pain and exhaustion. He had overdone it today, that was clear to him, but he could not help it. He fumbled with the fastenings for several moments in his haste. The pain on his binding scars was intensifying with the level of Malfoy's fury at him.

Underlying the pain from his scars, he also noticed that his right shoulder was hurting. The mark that used to be the Dark Mark and now was some stupid flower, changed by Harry Potter, was aching badly. Someone in the circle was very angry as well.

Finally he got them his robes on and staggered out of his bathing room and snatched up the modified crutch he used to help him to get around on really bad days. He hobbled toward where the summons originated, even though that summons could mean his end.

As he expected, he was drawn to the study. Pushing open the door, he immediately saw exactly what he had feared to see; Erik was seated on the divan with his arms lying flaccidly in his lap, looking uncharacteristically defeated. George was standing near the window, looking a bit confused. Jerrod hesitated at the doorway; perhaps he was really not supposed to be here…

"Oh no, Jerrod." Lucius stated in a dangerously soft tone. "You're a very important guest at our little party." He was seated beside the fire in his overstuffed chair, eyeing the new arrival and keeping an overview of everyone in the room. "Come in and sit down. Its clear you've overdone things today."

"I'll fall down if I stand here much longer anyway." He grumbled, hobbling forward and leaning heavily on his cane with each step, trying to mask his expression of pain as he moved, finally sinking into a chair. He knew he was in trouble and there was absolutely nothing he could do to change it. At least he was fairly sure he wouldn't be beaten within an inch of his life or crippled further for his behavior.

George was instantly concerned, he moved over to Jerrod's side. "Why are you limping like that? What did you do to your ankle?" George asked worriedly.

Jerrod closed his eyes, telling himself to simply bear with the attention and not to snap. He was just tired and hurting, all he wanted to do was go sleep now. "Nothing important; I used it too much." He answered blandly.

"The medi-witch told you not to overdo it. You were supposed to come directly home and put your leg up for the rest of the day." George scowled at him.

"I had something I needed to do, I couldn't follow the doctor's instructions this time. It's not like it's the first time I ignored them." He commented. "Oh come on, George, stop acting so surprised!"

A moment later Narcissa moved in, guiding Mallek, Alyssa and Erin into the room ahead of her. "Here they all are, Lucius."

Mallek froze the moment he saw Erik. "No, you're not supposed to…"

"Not supposed to be here?" Lucius finished for him. Mallek looked at his father, face growing pale at Lucius' stony expression. "Sit down, Mallek. You too, Alyssa." He growled.

Mallek moved to a seat beside Erik and Alyssa slipped over to stand between her father and Mallek, as far as she could from Lucius in the small room. Erin slipped in behind the couch behind Mallek.

"I'm sorry my Prince. I tried." Erik murmured in a defeated tone. Erin put a comforting hand on his shoulder; if anything it made him look more defeated.

"Look, Lucius, let's get this over with." He said, squaring his shoulders. "There's no reason to pull the kids into this or draw it out; it was my fault." he said in a firm tone. "Let the kids go on with their day, Lucius. They're only children and could never have done any of this without my help. I'm the only adult involved and I'm the one who took Erik to Hogwarts. Ask Ronald Weasley or his daughter, they both saw me there..."

"Oh I've no illusions about your involvement in this entire scheme, Warrington…" Lucius said in a low growl, his eyes narrowed. "I can't believe that you encouraged this foolishness."

"It wouldn't have been possible without me. It's entirely my responsibility and I accept whatever punishment you desire…" he repeated; it was what he wanted them to believe.

"So you're telling me that your daughter had nothing to do with your so-called cooperation?" Lucius demanded, knowing that Jerrod was bound to be completely truthful to him.

"I'm telling you that it really doesn't matter…!" He began.

"That's not what he's asking you and you know it, Jerrod! Did she influence you? Did she use her siren powers on you?" George demanded, irritated by his evasion of the question. Jerrod shot him an angry look; he didn't want those questions asked!

Standing behind her father, Alyssa swallowed hard and took a deep breath. She couldn't allow her father to take the blame though it was clear he was trying to. "Yes, father George and Lord Malfoy, I did use my siren influence." She said quietly, her voice trembling slightly. Her face drained of all color with her fear of what was going to happen to her. She did not raise her eyes to look at either Lucius or George.

"No! It was my idea to cooperate, my idea, not hers…!" Warrington started immediately.

"I can't let you take the blame for everything, daddy; I did use my influence on you and I know you were aware of it. We're not babies anymore, we're nearly grown up…" she slipped her arm about him and kissed his cheek, tears in her large expressive eyes. "And I really am sorry that I needed to do that to you."

Jerrod stroked her cheek, trying to get oher to understand. "That's precisely what I'm saying, Alyssa." He insisted once more. "I know you were trying to use your siren powers to manipulate me into doing what you wanted. It didn't succeed because you had me under your spell; I bloody well knew what was happening. I could have fought it." He turned his eyes on Lucius challengingly. "I didn't fight it because I WANTED to do what they asked of me!"

Lucius was not moved by his statement, he'd guessed as much. "I've no doubt that the master of this little plan was our young Mallek, I've no doubt. I'm assuming an aging potion was involved…?" Lucius inquired, steepling his fingers, his eyes focused on his fingers instead of anyone else in the room with him.

"Don't even insinuate that they stole that potion! Erik and Erin made it themselves in potions class with me a month ago!" Warrington retorted.

"I never insinuated such a thing." Lucius answered.

"What the bloody hell would they need an aging potion for…?" George asked, confused. He had not been filled in on all the details of what had happened that day.

Lucius glanced at him. "Mr. Weasley, they had to find a way to get Erik into the school. He was born too late for entry this year. The child must be eleven years old to enter Hogwarts. The rule about age is almost immutable…"

"So Erik has been aged how much? A full year…?"

"No, don't be daft. Nine months is all that was needed to get him equal in age to Alerick." Jerrod grumbled.

George rubbed his forehead, beginning to understand the scheme. "So after he aged himself, you took the Floo network…?"

"Erik wouldn't have needed me for that. We apparated there, of course."

Weasley scowled angrily at him for that offhand comment. "You apparated. With your ankle? That madman Parkinson nearly crippled you and you're intent on finishing the job, aren't you? You've probably done it irreparable damage!"

"If I have done it, it was by my own conscious choice! I will pay the price I must to keep these kids safe. It doesn't matter if I'm harmed, as long as they are safe. Whatever it takes, I will do. Lucius knows how serious I am about that. He knew it before he took me on to be bound as his manservant." He growled back at George. "I will give my very life's blood to keep them safe!"

"I want them safe too, but you're going to lose your bloody feet, man!"

"If that is what it takes then that is what it takes." He repeated.

"As lovely as that sentiment is, Jerrod, now the entire wizarding world believes that I have no control whatsoever over my own household!" Lucius broke into that conversation with an angry comment. "That is not acceptable, especially when the one who brought Erik home was that insufferable busybody Minerva McGonogall."

Jerrod actually looked relieved to be interrupted. "What's done is done." He responded, feeling somewhat calmer. "No one can undo the past, you know that as well as I. So now what?"

Lucius stroked his chin a moment in thought. The silence in the room was palpable; the children worried about what they would face for their actions. "For punishment, you four are restricted to the mansion. No movies, no parties, no friends over at all. No visitors for an entire four weeks."

Mallek looked shocked at the announcement. "Four weeks…? But Lord Father, I had been invited to Uncle Severus' house for…" Mallek began.

"It is unfortunate, but the answer remains. No." Lucius said firmly, eyes narrowing slightly. "None of you will be enjoying any extracurricular activities, including going riding and most especially attending birthday parties. There will be no extra playtime for any of you." Lucius said.

Narcissa spoke up now, looking at each of the four Dark Circle children as she spoke. "That is not all, children. For your audacity in forming such a plan, I feel more correction is due to each of you." The children looked at her now, each face showing surprise, for she was very rarely the disciplinarian. "When Lucius and I go to visit Angel and Alerick at Hogwarts next month, the four of you will not be coming. You will remain here." She said.

Mallek paled visibly but kept his mouth shut, bowing his head. It was going to be forever before he could see Alerick again and the realization was more than painful.

"That's not fair!" Jerrod immediately objected. "Narcissa, surely you can't be serious about that!"

"I assure you, Jerrod, that I am serious. And it is also final." Narcissa said coolly, frowning at him.

He didn't see any reason to back down. She was hurting the kids by keeping them apart! "But you're punishing Alerick too and he did nothing!"

"Your statements aren't going to change anything. And don't forget; we've not gotten to your punishment yet, Warrington." Lucius cautioned.

"I don't care what you do to me; I still don't think it's smart to leave Alerick there all alone." Warrington grumbled, his arms folded.

"It doesn't matter what you do anyway."

Lucius looked at the children then smiled at his wife. "If you will take these children back to their rooms, my love?"

"Of course, Lucius." She said, "Come, children…" The other three rose, but she had to touch his arm before he reacted, looking up at her. He seemed dazed, almost like he was in shock. Narcissa gently slipped her arm about him. "Come along, Mallek. It is time to go back to your rooms… perhaps a bit of a nap would help you feel a bit better." She suggested. She helped him to his feet and guided him out, trailed by Erik, Erin and Alyssa. The redheaded girl was gazing back worriedly at her father as she was led out of the room.


	10. Warrington's Discipline

Lucius waited for the children to leave, silently gazing at the two men who remained in the room. The silence stretched on until finally the patriarch chose to speak again. "Now; what do with the two of you…" he mused.

George looked confused again. "What…? You can't mean me, Malfoy; I wasn't involved in all this mess." George began.

"Not this little fracas, that is true. But there is another problem within my home that involves you quite directly, Mr. Weasley."

"What have I done?"

Lucius eyed him directly as he spoke in a quiet, level tone. "My wife has expressed her concern about your behavior in our home. She feels, as do I, that your actions could be a bad influence on the children, especially considering the early conditioning that young Alerick had undergone."

George took a seat beside Jerrod, frowning. What the bloody hell had he been doing to upset the Malfoys so? "Well I certainly wouldn't want to be a bad influence on any of the children. What are we doing?"

Lucius leaned back in his chair. "If I'm not mistaken the two of you have begun to have intimate relations under my roof."

Jerrod flushed deeply, averting his eyes. "So what's the big deal? You said you didn't care." He countered.

"I did not care when the children were younger." He clarified. "But the children have grown, Jerrod. Alerick is at Hogwarts, and in three years Mallek will be going as well. It is very clear to anyone with eyes that the two of them are meant to be bonded to one another."

"I don't understand the problem then. It will be their choice then, won't it?" George asked.

Lucius scowled t him as if he were being purposefully dense. "You cannot possibly be so dense. I have no intention of having the example of free sex without bonding so clearly demonstrated to them by the two of you."

"Like they won't be exposed to that at Hogwarts." Jerrod snorted. "You don't really believe that everyone who has sex at school is bonded do you?"

"I think I see what you're saying…" George said, feeling he was being told that he could no longer spend time with Jerrod. It felt like a blow to the stomach. He lowered his eyes to hide the pain.

"At least one of you does." Lucius said, relaxing back, gazing at them.

"You don't really believe that everyone at Hogwarts that has sex is bonded, do ou Lucius?" Jerrod asked sarcastically.

"Don't be daft." Lucius answered, rolling his eyes. "And you know that is bloody well not my point."

"What is it you want us to do?" George asked softly.

"Quite simple; when would you prefer the ceremony to be held?"

George was taken by surprise. "Ceremony…?" he looked up, confused.

"What?" Jerrod wasn't so confused but was completely taken aback. "Oh bloody hell, Lucius, you can't be serious! You can't make me do that!" Jerrod objected.

"For the bonding ceremony, of course." Lucius answered George as if Jerrod had not spoken.

That left the redheaded man with a completely gob-smacked expression. "Bonding…? Lucius, I can't…" he began, glancing at the man he had every intention of staying with for the rest of his life.

"Why?"

"I can't bond to someone who refuses to bond to me. Jerrod doesn't want to make our pairing permanent; he's made that perfectly clear. I've asked him several times but he just has no interest in making our bond a permanent one."

Lucius turned his eyes to meet Jerrod's angry ones. "You will be bonded before this week is out." Lucius informed him calmly.

"You can't force me to get bonded as some sort of punishment! That is NOT part of my bonding and it will not be binding!" Jerrod told him.

"This is not a punishment. I'm intend to make you get bonded because you don't seem to know what's best for yourself." Lucius answered him, his mouth curving into a sweet smile. "And your illicit behavior in my household is giving the children improper ideas about acceptable behavior. They do look up to you, whether you wish them to or not Jerrod."

"The last thing I intended was to be a bad example…"

"Your punishment, Jerrod, will be to make potions ingredients."

He looked wary. "I do that every day."

"Not for Severus Snape, you don't." Lucius replied calmly. Jerrod had never really gotten past his fear of his old potions master and it showed in the way that the younger man's face lost color. "You will work making preparations of potions ingredients for Severus Snape for the month the children are grounded."

"You're serious…?" He stared at him in shock.

"Oh yes, Jerrod. Severus had contacted me earlier this week, asking if perhaps he could get the assistance of the children. He has come across a large store of raw ingredients that need to be readied for use in potions. I think you will be a much better candidate, as you have no real projects at this time. And if your physical condition does not allow you to do this now, you will do it after you have recovered enough." Lucius added.

"You can make me cut and chop nasty trash for Snape for weeks; I don't bloody care. But you can't force me to bond with anyone." Jerrod glared at him.

"Oh, I'm doing no such thing Jerrod. I'm not a monster; I will not be forcing you to bond at all. But I can and will forbid you from having relations anywhere on this property. You are living in my home, live in my home, Jerrod. You have become accustomed to the touch and companionship of this man even though you protest about it daily. Could you really bring yourself to live without him completely?"

Warrington sat quietly, thinking for several moments. He wasn't so much into the physicality of it all; actually he would rather Weasley leave him alone most of the time. But things had been a little easier with George around. Years ago, he had tampered with his own memory in an attempt to block memories of his forced labor under Malcolm Parkinson. He'd actually rent holes in his mind to block the memory of dying babies and the things that had been created by the twisting and intermingling of magic and man-made technology. His nights were often plagued by those blocked memories and he rarely slept well. When George had discovered this, he had taken to sleeping in the same room, and when that had not helped he had begun sleeping in the same bed. His presence had taken those night terrors away.

No George would mean that the night terrors would return. "I've… lived without him for years." Jerrod stared down at the floor, feeling defeated. His life had finally begun to feel like it had meaning again and now he would have to give it all up. Why must those he was bound to always take everything away from him? And his ankle was so badly mucked up, he wasn't sure if he really could go without George's help simply to get around.

George touched his shoulder with a gentle hand. "Jerrod… if you really want me to stop coming around… you know… I will. All you have to do is say so. You've told me to bugger off but never to leave you completely alone." He murmured in a soft tone, his voice trembling slightly with the effort of withholding his emotions. This would be Jerrod's decision, and his alone. If he chose solitude, George would stop coming as he wished even if it tore his heart out.

Jerrod was silent for several minutes, lowering his head into his hands, his face concealed by his hair. What the bloody hell was he supposed to do? Could he really go back to being solitary, with only the children as company? Lucius may have put it all very crassly, but it was a good question. Could he…? George had been around every day for over five years now and he and Jerrod had actually begun to talk lately. George waited in silence, saying no more and allowing him to make the decision.

He sighed, shoulders slumping. "Whatever. Just pick the day. I don't give a bloody damn when, pick the day and we'll be bonded." He said quietly, his tone defeated.

"I won't if you don't really want this, Jerrod. I don't want anyone forcing you to accept me; I want it to be your choice, yours for real…" George murmured, gazing at him.

"Just pick the day." He repeated.

"Jerrod…"

"I said I'll do it, George. Don't give me grief over it or I may bloody well change my mind." He growled, rising, all his weight on his good ankle.

He took a step forward and staggered but George was instantly there to support him. "Easy now, Jerrod…" he began.

He sighed; perhaps it was all for the best, his bonding to Weasley. It would give Alyssa a true family. It would protect the Circle children. And it wouldn't hurt him a bit to go through the ceremony. He and George were almost a couple anyway, even if the man drove him out of his mind most of the time. It was worth it for what happened when they shared a bed.


	11. Lazlo

"All first year Slytherins, follow me." A fifth year said, moving past the table.

Lazlo waited for most of the others to move past, and then he rose and joined the ten new students following their prefect. He had known about the sorting, of course, but hadn't made any friends on the train. In fact, he had spent a good portion of the trip standing in the hall so he hadn't had to deal with some of the stupid questions by the people in the car he had to share.

Now he was here, alone in Slytherin House. He'd been worried they'd take that brute Erik and allow him into the school. He had no worries now, he was away from Malfoy Manor and his controlling dad Harry, he was away from Draco as well. This was his first chance at being what he really wanted to be…

"Hi." A girl's voice spoke up beside him.

He looked to see a girl who was nearly his height and quite slim, with deep black hair pulled into a stylish bun that framed her pale face. Lazlo felt his heart jump into his throat; wanting to speak but he was having great trouble even getting a word out. "Um…" he managed. "Hi…"

"I'm Chrysalis Rookwood." She said with a sweet smile that had a redoubled effect upon him.

"Lazlo." He forced the answer out, feeling like his collar was too tight. Merlin, she was pretty…

"Oh I like that name." she said, slipping her hand through his elbow as if he were escorting her to the dance. "Someone told me that you're old wizarding blood, there's no mud-blood mixed up in you… were they telling the truth?"

"Yeah. My dad's from a long line of wizards and so is my birth mum." He answered, feeling special. He had this pretty girl's attention and she really seemed to like him.

The Prefect led them across the entry hall and down one of the many stairwells. "Remember this route please, it is the most direct way to reach the Slytherin common rooms." He called out to them.

"Your name, Crysalis… isn't that like a butterfly cocoon or something?" he asked.

She laughed softly. "Yes, that's right. It's a little lame, I know, but it's a lot better than what my mother wanted to name me…"

"What name did she want?"

"Arachnia." She grimaced at the thought.

"Spider? Yeah, that would be worse."

"Just call me Chrissy, all my close friends do." She smiled at him. "Anyway, the sorting was kind of fun, don't you think? I mean, could you believe that boy, trying to get in early? Honestly, some kids just don't know how to wait. Arrogant thing. And that other boy, that blonde. Malfoy, I think he was. Merlin, the audacity of some people, refusing to accept the house he's assigned…"

"Yeah. Go figure." He muttered. He didn't want to admit his relationship to them.

She smiled up at him. "So what was your full name? I didn't catch it…"

"Oh, it's Lazlo Potter-Malfoy." He answered without thinking.

She frowned a bit. "Potter… Malfoy?"

"Yeah. But not really my close family. I was born into the Yaxley family; my real dad was Benjamin Yaxley…" he did not notice that her pace had slowed and the two of them seemed to be a few steps behind the end of the line as they reached the foot of the stairs.

"So that arrogant prat Alerick Malfoy is your brother?"

"Yeah, sort of…" He corrected in vague agreement. What happened next was so quick that he really did not realize what was happening until his face slammed into the stone wall and everything went black.

Lazlo had managed to get to one knee, dazed, his ears ringing.

"What in Merlin's name is going on here?" a professor demanded, movinb up with her robes billowing about her.

"I don't know, Professor Gibbon." Crissy said innocently, her hands clasped before her. "We were following the Prefect and Lazlo missed the last step I suppose…"

The professor moved up to Lazlo's side. "I think perhaps you need to see Madame Pomfrey…" she began, touching his chin to tilt his face up.

His lip was bleeding from a small cut and he had an abrasion that was already beginning to purple and bruise on his eye and cheekbone. He pushed at her hand, turning his face away. "I don't need the nurse for a bruise. I'm fine." He said firmly.

"What happened, young man?" she asked him.

He eyed the two standing just behind her. One was Crissy, the other was a boy her age who looked very much like her standing to her right. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened, but he wished he knew why. "Like they said, I missed that last step and tripped." He said, getting to his feet again. "I just bumped into the wall. I'm not hurt badly." He muttered. He wasn't going to go ratting on those two even if they did do this to him. He bloody well wasn't going to let them get away with it though…

"All right, then." She straightened, glancing at the dozen or so students gathered around. "The show is over, all, everyone move on to the common rooms, these first years need to be oriented to the rules of Slytherin House." She ordered, and most of them turned to follow her as she led the way.

"Well at least you're not a whiner." Crissy said, giving Lazlo a cruel smile. "You know, Jordi, he might be a decent addition to Slytherin House after all…"

"That's not up to you anyway." Lazlo growled.

"It is more than you know." Jordi answered with a grin.

"You might think that, Lazlo. But you don't know many things; like the fact that my eldest brother holds most of the power in Slytherin House. He's the Prince of Slytherin." She smiled sweetly.

"You're lying." He retorted.

"Why lie when the truth is so much more fun?" she laughed, not even caring that the others had left the three of them in the hallway, moving out of sight. Lazlo had been watching for another movement from the brother and he was rewarded for his vigilance; Jordi had stepped one more pace behind him lunged forward to grab at him again.

Lazlo had been expecting exactly that. Last time, he'd been distracted by Crissy's pretty face but he had no intention of being the patsy this time. He slid out of the way at the last moment, wand in hand. He used a simple sticking spell to make the farthest boot away hold to the floor for just one moment, enough to ensure Jordi would be unable to stop himself. It worked; he hit the wall much harder than Lazlo had.

He turned immediately to fix a glare on Crissy, who was staring in shock as she watched her twin and protector slump to the floor. "I may fall for that bloody crap once, pretty little Crissy, but I'll be damned if you get me twice. I don't bloody well care who your family is; I'm gonna find my own way here without depending on mine. You and your thug of a brother had better let me be, and I won't do anything to you. Mess with me and I promise you, I will pay you back for every single thing you do to me."

"Are you threatening me?" she demanded.

"Not at all. I'm giving you a promise." He growled back at her, moving in the direction the others had gone. "And I'm dead serious about it. I don't care who you are, and who your brother might be for that matter. I'm a Potter-Malfoy and we don't make empty promises."

She stared at him incredulously for a moment or two, then huffed angrily and turned her back on him, moving to her fallen brother who was only beginning to wake.


	12. A Night Alone

Alyssa pushed open the door to Mallek's room. She hadn't been in here in quite a while; Alerick had told her that she was free to choose her own path and she had done so.

She had enjoyed spending time with her father and actually bonding with him, and with Papa George and Uncle Fred as well. All the Weasley clan had welcomed her as a true member of the family and it was almost frightening how many of them there were. She still couldn't remember all of their names. But tonight she had refused the invitation to stay with her father and go to one of the many parties… tonight was going to be much different and she knew it on more than an instinctive level.

When the five of them had arrived in Malfoy Manor, they had been housed within one room. As time had progressed they had been separated first into interconnecting rooms, then finally to separate rooms as they had grown older. Alerick and Mallek had been given separate quarters but separating them had been next to impossible. They had attempted to even block entry of each into the others room to encourage them to sleep apart; they would find the two curled up in a nest of blankets in the hallway, together again. The adults had relented and allowed the two to room together, modifying the bed to allow the growing boys to sleep peacefully and comfortably. The white dragon that made up the bed remained, coiled in a protective mode around the bed itself. More than a simple carving, the bed had alarms and defensive spells that would never allow any harm to occur while the occupants slept.

Alyssa had been in her own bed, and had just drifted off to sleep when she had felt a pull at her very soul. Loneliness, pain, grief, and isolation… all emotions ringing through her head which she knew were not hers. She knew whose they were, and she could never resist his need. Tonight she had a place to be and it was here with Mallek. "My prince…?" she whispered.

Mallek sat alone, looking small and forlorn in the middle of the large circular mattress, blankets rumpled and cast aside. Tears dampened his cheeks but he was unashamed of them. "Alyssa… I didn't mean to wake you, I just… I just can't sleep without him…" he whispered, voice trembling.

"You know I'm here, whenever you need me…" she said, moving to him quickly climbing up on the bed with him.

He sank into her arms, his entire body trembling. "Its so hard… being apart. I hate it, and knowing I won't see him for a full month at least makes it even worse…"

"Lord Father Malfoy may not be aware of how you are feeling… We should tell…"

"No. I don't want to tell him anything, I don't want him to think I'm weak without Alerick. Just… just help me to sleep. Please…" he whispered.

"I can do that." She assured him in a tender tone, adjusting herself so that her back was against the side of the dragon, and his head settled into her lap.

"Its only going to get worse… I don't know… I don't know if I can be without him for an entire month…"

"The Circle will get you through this, my Prince." She assured softly, stroking his hair tenderly. Erik, Erin and me, we're all here… and we'll be here for you." She said soothingly.

"You won't… Next year the rest of you will leave me and I will truly be alone…" he whispered in a tremulous voice. "The four of you will leave me and go to school…"

"Its meant to be this way. Alerick will learn the lay of the place, and the rest of us will prepare the school for you. When you arrive, all will be ready and you can just slip in and assume your place right away…"

"Its lonesome. And it hurts…."

"All will be well. We will get you through." She repeated. "Tomorrow and next year are yet to be. You will get stronger every day. We know you need him. He needs you too. He is in bed now, thinking about you and what it will be like to have you in the castle as well…"

"Sing to me Alyssa… help me to sleep." He requested softly, another tear leaking from his eye.

She did not hesitate, calling up the strength of her siren training to help Mallek to sleep, singing softly to him, and continuing to stroke his hair with gentle hands.

Alerick sat alone on his four-poster bed in the first Year Gryffindor dorm room, with all the heavy black drapes pulled. He had told the others that he was tired and going to turn in early so they would not bother him. He picked up his wand and cast a light spell upon the roof of his four poster bed, casting a gentle light over the entire bed. He then pulled out a sheet of parchment, sitting cross-legged on his bed. He had promised to write Mallek every day and he had no intention of going back on that pledge.

Dearest Mallek;

I hope this letter gets to you by morning, and that it finds you in good spirits. Erik has gone home, and I hope that everything is all right.

I have been placed in Gryffindor House. The others are all right, they have been good to me even though I did try to get switched to Slytherin. The headmaster would not allow it. This house is not bad, and my room is bearable though it seems empty without you. I am very much looking forward to seeing you on our next break.

As always,

Your Alerick.

He hesitated, reading it over. Should he write more? Should he put in more details of his day? He shook his head, knowing he would have plenty to send tomorrow. Alerick rolled the letter up and sealed it with wax, then parted the curtain at the head of his bed slightly. His owl awaited the letter, quietly perched on the stand on his bedstand. He passed her the letter and she silently took to the air, swooping out the open window.

Alerick sighed and cancelled the light spell before he lay back on the pillows of his bed, listening to his roommates busy themselves to ready for bed. He lay there quietly as time passed, the others finally settling and the room growing very quiet. He could not sleep. He felt homesick, tears welling up in his eyes.

Laying in bed here, alone, it all felt real. Mallek was not anywhere that he could reach him, and might not be for weeks. He was alone, not even Erik here to protect him. He had not been this alone in many years and it was more than strange, it was frightening. Would he be able to do this on his own? Surely he could, hundreds of children had managed the same feat before him. But in his eleven years of life, he had never truly been without constant protection of others.

Erik had been here but he was gone, taken away by the Headmaster. He was sure that he had simply been taken back home. Lord Father Malfoy must be furious; there was no telling what punishment he had given the others. He just wished he knew what had happened, and what was going on.

He glanced at the time and then sat up finally and dug in the bag he had tossed at the foot of his bed, pulling out a small vial. Severus Snape had given him two dozen of these three weeks ago, and told them to pack them in his trunk. It seemed rather odd at the time, as he was perfectly fine in the Manor, but now it made sense. Sleeping potion. Not strong, not much for each dose. But it was enough to help him to close his eyes and to forget that he was now sleeping alone and would be from now until the first school break. He crawled back into bed and downed the potion, letting the medicine finally pull him down into sleep.

"You're having me on." Harry said softly, frowning at Draco.

"No, that was what father and mother decided was a fitting punishment." He answered, glancing around at the children. He and Harry were out in the playground with the children, watching them as they ran about and played.

The Dark Circle children were not playing, though. Mallek sat by the paint easel, his head bowed and his hands in his lap. If it was possible, Erik looked even more depressed but was not sitting very close to Mallek. He was several feet away, sitting on the ground, ignoring the kids who were running around him. Erin was seated beside him with her arm around his shoulders. Alyssa was with Mallek, gently stroking his hair, clearly trying to soothe him.

"It's too much for them." He pushed to his feet.

"What are you going to do?"

Harry glanced at him and gave him a soft grin. "Don't ask. That way you won't have to lie if your father asks anything about it." He assured. "But Mallek has to talk to me first."

"He's always been distant from you…"

"Ever since Mallek decided you belonged to him." Harry smirked. "But it won't hurt to try." He answered as he moved off. He moved within a couple feet of Mallek and stopped; he wanted to be able to help the boy but first he had to gain some sort of trust.

"Hello, Lord Uncle Harry." Alyssa said softly, her face as sad as he had ever seen it. Mallek didn't even bother looking up.

"Just Uncle Harry is fine, Alyssa." He assured. "Can I speak with Mallek alone?"

She glanced at him. The boy simply shrugged, then nodded slightly. Alyssa looked up at Harry again. "I won't be far, if you need me Mallek…"

He only gave a single nod and she rose, moving off to join the other two.

Harry sat down on the cushioned ground beside Mallek. He simply sat there for several minutes, watching young James practicing with Remus Severus.

Mallek finally glanced at him. "What is it you want, sir?" he asked quietly. Harry could tell that the boy had been weeping, but hiding it well from everyone.

"I know exactly how you feel, Mallek." Harry told him in a soft tone.

"How can you?"

"I feel for Draco the same emotions you feel toward Alerick."

Mallek sighed, wiping at his eyes. "I'm sorry, but am I supposed to care?" he asked softly.

"No, you don't have to. But I believe you need to understand what we went through, to help you to understand that you can survive this as well." He answered in a soft tone. This conversation was between the two of them and he had no inclination to allow others to eavesdrop. "I was held apart from him for many months…"

"By Lord Father Malfoy. I know." Mallek answered.

"You've been looking into our relationship…?"

"Alerick did. He wanted to understand what we feel toward each other, and since we were created out of your essence it made sense that we would feel what you both feel. Alerick thinks it is the same… but I don't; I think he's wrong." He drew up his legs, wrapping his arms about them.

"How is he wrong?"

"It's deeper. So very much deeper." Mallek whispered, bowing his head.

Harry put his hand on Mallek's shoulder. The boy stiffened for a moment, then he sighed and slumped more, hiding his face. "It's not fair. I know what we tried to do was against the rules, but its horrible what Lord and Lady Malfoy think is fair. I can't see him for a full month. I can't visit him, I can't firecall him… all I have are letters…"

"Not necessarily." Harry murmured.

Mallek hesitated, and then looked at him. "What…?"

"There's something that can be done, I won't talk about it here. And there are certain conditions attached to my helping you out…"

"Conditions…?" he repeated with a suspicious frown.

"You need to give me your trust. And I have to be able to trust you, without reservation."

He looked away, staring at the other kids playing. "That's a lot to ask."

"Yes, and no." Harry said ambiguously. "I would like to have the chance to talk to you. You and I both know that I might be the only person who would understand how you feel."

"I guess so." He mumbled, his mind clearly elsewhere.

Harry sat there a moment longer, aware that this was more time than Mallek had ever tolerated him to sit so close. He had always snuggled up to Lucius or Draco, and often Narcissa as well, but he tended to avoid Harry. Lucius was sure it was something that had to do with the maniacal fanaticism of Malcolm Parkinson. It had been taught to Alyssa so well that she had been terrified to even be in the same room with Harry for any length of time. He tenderly reached out a hand, placing a soothing hand on his cloned brother's shoulder. "I know it hurts. Its not easy to be away from someone who makes you whole."

Mallek took a shaky sigh. "They say I'm too young to know. But I know what it is. I belong with Alerick and he belongs with me. We belong to each other." He said quietly, then glanced at Harry. "You had to be away…?"

"Yes. Lucius wasn't very keen on having me as a son in law for a long time. He forbade Draco from seeing me for nearly a year."

"A whole year…?"

Harry nodded. "It was very difficult for me. But Draco finally broke away and we found each other again."

"But Alerick can't do that. I have to stay here, he has to stay there." He said in a sad tone.

"Get through the night Mallek." Harry said softly. "Just get through the night, and I will arrange for you and I to spend a little time together."

"I don't want to be with you." The boy answered.

Harry smirked at the answer and how quickly it had come. "I know you don't. But there is a reason you will want to. Take your time and think about it. Some rules are made to be broken." He said, pushing to his feet and strolling away.

Looking a bit confused, Mallek watched him go, but was distracted enough from his own personal miasma to consider what it was that Harry was offering.

Jerrod stepped into his laboratory and was almost repulsed out of it by the sheer smell emanating from the five sacks piled upon his work table. "Faugh! What the bloody hell is that nasty stench?" he said, almost stepping back out of the room.

"Amorphophallus blossoms." Severus Snape was in the room, standing beside the desk, setting a sixth bag on the counter.

"They smell like month-old garbage fermented in sewage." He commented, forcing himself to endure the stench, moving in and closing the door. His stomach felt like it was clenching; the sheer level of stench in the room was almost overwhelming.

Severus gestured with his wand and the small window opened, allowing a slightly freshening breeze that lowered the smell level to tolerable levels. "Yes, they are quite fragrant. They a very rare, and bloom only three days out of the year; they are only valuable to me when they are at the peak of their… fragrance." He said with a smirk.

"Fragrance? They're putrid." Warrington said, moving over toward the table. He opened one of the bags and the stench doubled. "What the bloody hell am I supposed to do with these nasty things?"

"This bag must be diced into pieces no larger than a quarter of an inch and placed in stasis phials. The second and third bags must have the stamen removed and reduced down in a cauldron. These…" he gestured at a third bag. "…need to be ground up, petals only and the paste sealed in jars…"

"I'm assuming you wrote all this down?" he interrupted, wanting to get started with this mess so he could sort it out and get it all done.

"Naturally." He produced a scroll.

Warrington took it, glancing over the tiny, carefully scribed notes on the parchment. "And you need this done by…?"

"The cutting and grinding must be done before sunset, and the brewing must be done by tomorrow night, to give it time to reduce and concentrate the oils."

"Lovely. Two days immersed in this funk." He grumbled.

"Oh, you'll never change, will you?"

Jerrod scowled at the old Potions Master. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You, Jerrod Warrington, are what I have heard labeled a 'Drama Queen'." He smirked, turning to leave.

Jerrod rolled his eyes. "And you, Severus Snape, will always be an old bat." He grumbled. "I'll have this disgusting crap done even if I have to work all night."

"Good. I'll have more for you to do in two days' time." He said, moving out the door of the room.

Warrington shot a disgusted look after him. "I may have to do this crap for you, Severus Snape, but I don't have to thank you for bringing it to me." He grumbled, moving carefully to his stool. He drew his wand and used it to move most of the bags off his table and sighed. "May as well get to work." He mumbled.

George found him there hours later. He tapped on the doorframe as he opened the door. "Jerrod…?" he started then was hit by the unrelenting stench within the room.

"Come in, if you have the stomach." He answered, not taking his eyes off the delicate cutting he was doing. These petals seemed delicate but they were easily crushed and without constant sharpening his blade had begun to bruise instead of cut the flowers. He had been forced to get more blossoms from the bag he would need to crush in order to have enough chopped petals.

Weasley looked absolutely green about the gills at the level of odor in the room. "All right, I give. What is that bloody stench? I'm quite sure I've never smelled anything quite like it…"

"Amazing, considering the things you and your maniacal twin come up with." He retorted with a smirk. "Its Amorphophallus blossom. Lovely, isn't it?"

"Stinkbomb flower, you mean. Faugh, how can you breathe in here?" George reached for the window to open it.

"If you value your hand you won't touch that window." Jerrod growled in an instant switch of news.

"Why? Get some fresh air in here…"

"It makes the damned things lose their fragrance. And the fragrance is what I need to preserve." He said, continuing his work.

"I repeat, how the bloody hell are you breathing in here?" George asked, his arm across his face, breathing through his sleeve to try to get some un-funked air.

"You get accustomed to it, believe it or not. I don't really smell it anymore…" Jerrod said, calm once more and quite focused on his work.

"Can you put this aside for a few minutes?" he asked.

"No, I can't." he answered immediately.

"We need to talk, Jerrod. About the bonding…"

Jerrod took his eyes off his work for only a moment, frowning at him. "Why? There's nothing to talk about. I told you last night; pick the date and I will be there. Beyond that, I truly don't care. Whatever you want is fine." He said as he continued to focus on his work.

His comments brought a smirk to George's face. "Seriously, Jerrod? Anything I want I can do?" he asked.

Jerrod stopped at the tone and expression on George's face. "If you try to put me in a dress or anything pink, I swear I will be widowed before I'm even bonded, Weasley." He snarled.

George laughed at that. "No gowns, and not one drop of pink, I swear it; except perhaps for Alyssa. But there will be other colors; I truly would like to see you in a bit of color. Anything to get you out of those boring, depressing black robes you always wear…"

"And how many potions makers do you know who wear any other color? Even you and your brother wear black when you're brewing."

"True, but we're not always brewing. And neither are you." He pointed out.

"I am more often than not. And I have to check on my potions all the time; I have three cauldrons back on that wall that have potions that have been simmering over the past three weeks. Am I to change my clothing every time I come into my potions lab? That wouldn't exactly be practical."

"You won't be doing any of that on your bonding day, Jerrod." George answered immediately. "Not if I have anything to do with it…"

"I have work to do, as if you have not noticed." He returned sourly. "I cannot put it off due to something as brief as a bonding ceremony. Really, George, how long are you going to draw this thing out? All we need do is a quick word in front of the proper authorities."

George couldn't help but laugh. "You can't be serious. A bonding ceremony held in the Ministry of Magic's bonding office is NOT going to be enough for ANY of my family. You've met them, surely you can figure that much out. Do you really think that Fred or Ginny are going to be satisfied with a quick exchange of vows and then that's it? Ginny had the whole rigmarole; gown, flowers, ribbons, lights, bridesmaids, best man, wedding cake, groom's cake, a big fancy dinner and everything…"

Warrington hesitated, and then looked up at him with a frown. "You seriously want your entire family to be there…?"

"Well, if you can figure out some way not to let them all find out about our bonding I suppose they wouldn't come. But you know that Alyssa will be dying to tell them all. They'll be there, the whole Weasley clan, and mum and dad as well of course. And Ginny's family, and…"

He scowled. "Could we at least leave your great-aunts out of this mess? I am not having some huge tented ceremony here and don't want hundreds of guests."

"I don't have to invite everyone, I suppose." He grinned. "And I think that inviting your family would be a nice touch; mum and dad would love to meet them…"

"Why? My father is dead. My mother is better left alone; she is mad as a hatter. Aunts, uncles, none of them helped me when I was down; not a single one of them did a damned thing for me at all. If I had been able to turn to them I might never have been involved with Parkinson at all. The way I see it, they're partly responsible for everything that happened to me. Why in the bloody hell would I want them to come to my bonding ceremony?" Jerrod answered immediately

"You don't talk about them, how was I supposed to know how you felt?"

"Well I'm telling you; No. None of them even need to know. Don't you dare even contact any of them." He said with a scowl. "I don't want Alyssa exposed to them. Your family is crazy enough."

George couldn't help but chuckle. "I hear you, and I understand, but I think we still need to talk about it some more." He said, waving the subject aside. "But there are other questions that need to be settled. Will you be taking my name?"

"No." Jerrod said immediately.

"Why not?" George asked directly back.

"I've been Warrington too damned long to change it now. Why don't you take MY name?" he retorted. "There are too damned many of you Weasleys running about as it stands, and I do NOT want Alyssa having to change her name at all." He glared, as if challenging him to give him an argument.

"She won't, unless she wishes to." he assured. "You know, Jerrod, I might consider taking your name. George Weasley-Warrington… sounds rather dignified, doesn't it?" Jerrod put down his knife, scowling at him now directly, and George just grinned at him.

"I won't be taking your name." he repeated stubbornly.

George relented with a smirk. "All right, so is there anything special you want for the ceremony?"

"Just make Alyssa happy. That's all I care about."

"It's our ceremony…"

"And she's our daughter. It's as much about her as it is about us." He retorted. "And if she wants to wear black, you WILL let her wear it."

"But wearing black to a bonding ceremony…?"

"I don't bloody care if its bad luck. You WILL let her wear it."

"All right, you win. I'll let her choose her own colors."

"Good. Now is that all you need?"

"I suppose. You don't care what day?"

"It's all the same to me. I just want it as soon as possible. I want to get it over with." Jerrod said crossly.

George stepped closer and rested one hand on the other man's shoulder. "I missed you last night too." He said quietly.

Jerrod stiffened slightly at the contact, then looked down, silent for several long moments. George said nothing, allowing the man he had fallen in love with to gather his thoughts. "Yeah." He finally said, looking up at him. "I never thought I'd say this, but its hard getting through the night alone now." He said quietly.

The normally jovial George smiled warmly. "That has to be the sweetest thing you have ever said to me, Jerrod." He said, leaning in for a soft kiss.

Warrington sighed when it ended, pushing George gently away. "Go on. Get this bull under way so we can get back to normal." He said, voice a little gruff.

"I don't think there ever will be a 'normal' with you, Jerrod." George winked at him, straightening. "I'm assuming you haven't told Alyssa yet?"

"No, I have not. I would like to be the one to tell her though; can you at least give me that?" Jerrod asked, picking up his knife again.

"Of course; wouldn't have it any other way, mate." He smiled at him with a wink. "You shouldn't be walking on that ankle. Have you seen the healer yet?"

"The medi-wizard should be in this afternoon to assess the damage."

"Why the bloody hell would you do that to yourself, Jerrod?" George asked softly.

"The kids." He answered immediately. "They needed me. I had to try, just as much as they did to try to get something done for Alerick. It's wrong that he's there alone, without any of us…" he said with a sigh. "You can't understand. Its not something that I want, it something that I have to do."

"Something that Parkinson bound you to?"

"Yeah, I suppose." He said with a shrug. "It's the one thing that Parkinson did to me that I don't hate him for…" he began slicing again, the smell in the room intensifying with every cut. "Those kids gave me something to hold on to, once the Circle began to be born…"

"Parkinson was a filthy nutter who didn't get half of what he deserved." George growled softly, remembering the multiple pregnancies that had been forced upon Jerrod and the twisted offspring that had been produced. Jerrod had never carried a child to term that Malcolm Parkinson had considered viable. His genes had been used in manipulation as had George's to create Alyssa, but the girl had been carried by and born to a woman. He looked at Jerrod, concerned that some of those memories may have arisen; they gave him nightmares for days when he recalled them vividly.

"He's dead. That part of my life is over." He said in a flat tone. "Leave it alone, George."

"I will." He agreed quietly. "Until you are ready to talk to me about it some, I will leave it alone."

"Can you just leave and let me work?" Jerrod asked finally, looking back up at him.

"Perhaps… do you want me to fetch Alyssa for you?"

"Let her play; it stinks far too much in here for her to be in here. Just tell the house elves to let her know when she comes back in from playing that I would like her to come and talk to me?"

"Of course." He agreed. "And as much as I'd like to have the ceremony this week, I think we might need to wait until the end of the kids' punishment; that way Alerick can attend, and Mallek will be happy again. I know there's a reason for it, but Alyssa truly does dote on those little boys…"

"Enough, George. Go on already." Jerrod said, sounding a little impatient now.

"As you wish." He smiled, turning to go.


	13. Family Bonding

Alerick slipped on his tie, sliding it up in place and then staring a long moment at his reflection in the mirror. Gryffindor. It was still sinking in; he was not in Slytherin he was in Gryffindor and he did not understand why it had happened.

He heard the others moving about but he did not say anything to them. None of them had spoken to him yet; last night had been a quiet affair and this morning even quieter. He'd heard them muttering about him, about how he had tried to refuse his assignment to Gryffindor. Was Lord Father Malfoy going to be upset that he had become a Gryffindor? Mallek… great Merlin, what was he going to tell his Prince?

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair one more time; it fell back into place as if spelled to lie perfectly upon his head. He gathered his courage and turned, exiting the bathroom to return to the bedroom. His roommates were gone already, to his relief. He walked to his bed and picked up his bag from his footlocker and headed out. There was nothing he could do except to do his absolute best; he had to prepare the way so that the others would be comfortable when they arrived. In three more years his Prince would be here as well and that would be the best ever…

"There you are lazybones." Angel said teasingly as he came down the stairs.

He gave a soft smile. "Good morning, Angel."

"Wow, you're looking sharp, Alerick." Rose Weasley smiled, moving to join her best friend.

"Thanks… so what do we do first today?"

"Breakfast in the Great Hall, and then we go to our first classes. What do you have first?"

He checked his list, hesitating. "Um… looks like potions."

"That will be Professor Bones." She said. "She's very particular…"

"I bet she's not as bad as Professor Warrington…" Alerick managed to grin.

"Close." Rose giggled softly.

"Most of the first years will have the same class together; you'll probably have it with that girl you met last night. What was her name, Tanya…?" Alyssa asked, reaching to take his hand.

"Yes, she's very nice." He agreed, feeling himself relax somewhat.

"Come on, cousin; it's time to eat something. You must be starved; I noticed that you hardly ate a bite last night…"

"I wasn't hungry, to be honest." Alerick, Rose and Angel moved through the common room and the fat lady's portrait. Even though he was with his cousin and friend, it still seemed very lonely to him as they moved down the stairs surrounded by other students. He couldn't help but wonder what Mallek was doing right now; if he had gotten his letter yet, and if he was going to get a letter from him today.

The Great Hall had its four long tables lined up, and the tables were already half full by the time the three of them got their seats. The dishes on the table did indeed look inviting, but Alerick once more did not really feel like eating. To make Angel feel happy, though, he did put some eggs and a bit of fruit on his plate.

He watched the others a few minutes, sighing softly. He really missed Mallek, Alyssa and the others. It was really hard sitting here alone, knowing that he was the only one apart from the others. He picked at his meal, hoping that it would soon be time to move on and not be forced to continue to try to eat. He just wasn't hungry…

The cry of a bird pulled his attention to the magically enchanted ceiling. He looked up to see owls sweeping in to the Great Hall, gliding through the rafters. Each of them held a box or letter or scroll, and they began to sweep down, dropping their packages.

"Oh I hope Dad remembered to send my cauldron and my potion-preparation set…" Rose said, looking up.

Alerick took another small bite, watching the birds as they delivered their packages. One caught his attention, an owl with feathers as black as night. It flew off and turned, a package clutched in its talons. It turned its head and its eyes met Alerick's; it then banked and flew back toward him, gliding low over the table. The black owl back winged and settled silently to the table in front of him then, hooting softly.

"For me…?" he asked softly. The owl hooted again and leapt off into the air, leaving the package behind.

"I bet that's from Mallek." Rose smiled.

"No, it isn't." he said, pulling the box closer. "It's from your father, Angel." He said softly, looking more than a bit confused.

"Well, open it, silly." She smiled, watching an owl swoop in and drop a box in front of Rose. Another owl dropped several letters in front of Angel as well.

Alerick slipped the letter off the top of the box, opening it carefully. Why would Harry send him something…? The writing in the letter was not Harry's, it was Mallek's. Relief flooded through him at that realization and he immediately began to read.

Alerick;

Lord Harry is sending you a gift in this box. It may seem a simple gift but he assures me that it will be something that you need. Please put it in your room this morning and if you can, wait with it there. I will send you another letter tonight.

I miss you, but the others are helping me get through. I hope you are all right.

Your Mallek.

"Did he send you something?" Angel asked, glancing up from her letter from her little brother.

"Yes." He answered. "But I think it's really from Mallek." He said, pulling the strings open on the box and pulling it open. Inside, wrapped up in silk, was a silver mirror with a frame of gold. He gazed at it a moment, confused. A mirror…?

"Oh, that's very pretty." Rosie said, smiling at him.

"Yes… I had better put it away before class." He said, rising to his feet.

"All right… can you find the way?"

"Not a problem." He smiled reassuringly. "I'll find my way, thanks Angel." He smiled at her as he picked up his things. He found himself glancing at the mirror often as he headed out of the Great Hall. He slipped it into his bag and turned to mount the stairs.

"Good morning, Gryffindor." The last two people he wanted to see were standing on the stairs, more or less blocking his way; Crissy and Jordi Rookwood seemed to be standing there waiting for him. He found he was very glad that he had put the mirror away; he tucked the box up under his arm.

"Good morning." He answered out of sheer habit and politeness, though he did make the tone dismissive.

It didn't work; either these two were too thick to catch the dismissal or they simply had no manners at all. He was more apt to believe the second. He could not help but notice that the boy sported scrapes and a black eye he had not had the night before.

"Your name; its Alerick Malfoy, right?" Chrissy went on.

"I really don't have time for this." Alerick frowned at her.

"We got off to a bad start; you took my little joke all wrong." She smiled at him. "It was all a misunderstanding last night." She said in a perfectly reasonable tone.

"By being cruel to my new friend, you mean?"

"Friend…? Oh come on; she's not even worth knowing, she's just a mudblood! She's certainly nothing special tha needs to come between real wizards. You and I, we're Old Wizarding blood families. Purebloods; we need to stick together."

"Your heritage does not grant you special status, Cryseis." He answered, shaking his head. "True status is gained on your own, through hard work and proving one's abilities and skills."

"And who taught you that, a muggle-born?" she asked, her tone disdainful. "Or maybe it was that little mudblood girl?" she smiled wickedly. "It seems she really isn't as graceful as she seemed…" She said in an innocent and slightly concerned tone.

"What are you talking about?" he frowned.

"Oh, Jordi, he doesn't know!" she said melodramatically, raising one hand to cover her mouth in a false expression of horror. "It was awful; she tripped this morning on the stairs. I heard she had to go to the medical wing for treatment this morning; very clumsy of her, isn't it? Such a shame..."

"Yeah, a shame." Jordi repeated with a smirk.

Alerick only narrowed his eyes slightly; he was a Malfoy; he had no intention of giving this cruel which the satisfaction of knowing she had gotten to him. "I'll have to check on her later. As for myself, I will be sure that I don't 'slip' on the stairs when I come back down." He answered, keeping his eye on Jordi, who seemed to be trying to slip off to the side and out of view. "My family has been coming here for generations, and I know a few ways to get around that Miss Culliver may not know."

"Really, now?" she asked smiling sweetly. "My brother Reginald is the Prince of Slytherin, and I bet he can tell me where to find all of those little ways of yours…"

"And my uncles are the Weasleys." He returned aloofly. "Uncle Fred and Uncle George are legendary around here for what they were able to do. They run Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes in Diagon Alley. Surely a witch as well-connected as yourself has heard of them…"

"Of course I've heard of them, every witch or wizard has. It's Jordi's favorite store. I knew there was something I liked about you the moment I saw you…"

"So you express that by being cruel to someone I'm talking to?"

"I was only teasing her. You took it all wrong. Really, we need to start off all over again…" she suggested, her smile becoming almost seductive. Of course, this had no effect whatsoever on Alerick.

"You cannot undo the past, but to ignore it is foolish." Alerick said, slipping past her but Jordi again blocked his way. It was clear that he would not let him pass.

"You need to take the time to talk to me, Malfoy." She said, clearly growing angry. "You don't know what an advantage I could give to you. We're both from old wizarding families and we could form an alliance…."

"I'm not interested." He said immediately, clearing his face of all expression. "I really don't have time for this." Alerick said. "Excuse me. I have things to do…" he said, starting to go past them on the stairs. "I don't have time to waste on the likes of you."

"Now don't be so mean, Alerick…! We have our first class together; why don't I just walk with you to drop that package off with the house elves, then we'll walk down to class together?" she suggested, remaining at his side.

"I don't need an escort."

"Don't be a silly ass…" she began.

He frowned at her; he had certainly been taught better manners than that. "You have a very dirty mouth." Alerick said, pulling his wand. With a flick of his wrist he used a cleaning charm on her mouth.

Instantly foam and soap came spilling out of her mouth. She screamed, gagging and choking, stumbling back a step. Coughing and spitting in outrage, she pointed at him with a hand that looked more like a hooked claw and demanded of her brother. "Jordi!" was all she managed to get out.

Her brother's wand was out and he shot a stunning spell before she even managed to get the words out. Alerick had been expecting some sort of response and immediately spat "Protego!" to fend off the attack, knowing full well it was probably too late to prevent himself from being bowled down the stairs he had already climbed. This was really going to hurt…

The spell did not hit him at all; it glanced aside and barely even impacted him at all, hitting the railing instead. "Leave him alone, Crissy." The three of them turned to see Lazlo standing at the base of the stairs, eye blackened, dried blood showing the scrape he had been given on his cheek the night before.

Jordi immediately took a step back, staring at his year-mate with clear suspicion. Alerick only now realized that Jordi's face was more bruised than Lazlo's. Alerick was truly surprised to see his half brother standing up for him, not expecting anything from him at all.

"This is none of your concern, so butt out." Crissy sneered at him. "What do you care about him anyway? You said he was a puffed-up prat, remember?" she shot back.

Lazlo narrowed his eyes. "I said nothing of the sort." He answered. "He's family. I told the two of you last night that if you mess with my family I will get involved. I'll take it personally. Leave them be and I leave you be." He growled, his eyes meeting Jordi's. "Back. Off. Now." He growled, one hand closing into a fist around his wand. "I ain't warning you again."

Jordi hesitated a moment, then took half a step back, his wand lowering.

"You're going to let him assault me like that? You just wait until I tell father and the Slytherin Prince!" she snarled at her brother.

That was all it took to get him galvanized back into action. He snarled another spell at Alerick, but this time it was so poorly aimed that the blonde simply moved aside for it to miss him.

Lazlo started up the steps; he wasn't about to let them do anything to his family.

"ENOUGH!" A voice thundered and all of them found themselves unable to move. Two prefects from Gryffindor house and from Hufflepuff had frozen them all to the spot with charms. "You four are all first years; what the bloody hell has gotten into you? We don't condone fighting here at Hogwarts!" the male prefect from Hufflepuff said disapprovingly.

"I only defended myself." Alerick said truthfully. "Check my wand if you wish."

"Crissy? Jordi?" A calm, very smooth voice broke into the conversation. The older brother, Reginald, who was indeed the Prince of Slytherin, arrived on the scene with his entourage as a bigger and bigger crowd began to form.

"He attacked me!" Crissy said, suddenly all tears and looking every bit the helpless victim. "He has to be sent to the Headmaster, he shouldn't be allowed to do things like that! Make them let me go, please…"

He sighed and turned his gaze to the prefects. "You'll have to forgive my siblings; they haven't learned the rules here yet. I will handle them myself, if you don't mind. This really is a house and family matter, after all…You can handle the Gryffindor, I'll take care of these three. All right?"

The Gryffindor prefect frowned. "No, its not all right, you see that one…" she pointed at Lazlo. "Was going after those two, and they're all Slytherin."

"We always have a few squabbles in Slytherin house, but usually they're kept private." He scowled at Crissy and she seemed to wilt; Alerick was sure she was really crying now. He eyed the other Slytherin boy now. "Your name is Lazlo, am I correct? Lazlo Malfoy-Potter."

"Yes." He answered, then as an afterthought he added, "…sir." He didn't like having to treat anyone like a prince but he wasn't going to piss this guy off.

He smiled. "Then you're family with Mr. Malfoy there. All right, you two go about your business. As I said, I will handle these two. And I can assure you it won't be happening again."

The prefects glanced at each other, then shrugged. "Just this once, Rookwood." The Gryffindor female Prefect agreed. "But I will be informing the heads of houses. Next time they'll all be going directly to the headmaster." She said as the others released the freezing charms.

"Agreed." He bowed his head to her in a very formal manner and then held out his hand to his sister. "Come along, Crissy. You and I need to have a little chat."

Alerick watched in great relief as Crissy moved along with her older brother like a submissive little kitten. He then turned his attention to his half-brother, whom he had expected nothing from. "Lazlo… um… thanks." He said softly, "I really didn't expect…"

"Forget it. I have a personal beef with those two, and I ain't letting them screw with any of my family." He grumbled, watching them as they moved off.

"I should go to the medical wing and see if Tonya is all right…" he said softly, starting up the stairs again at a quick pace.

"Who's that?" Lazlo asked, following beside.

"She's in Ravenclaw."

"Oh, the pretty one with the black hair you were talkin' to?"

Alerick shrugged a little. "I suppose she's pretty enough. I think Erik liked her."

"Yeah? How could you tell that Erik likes anyone?"

"He kind of froze when he saw her. He's never done that before. If he likes her it makes sense, since he's never really liked anyone before anyway…" Alerick chuckled softly.

"Someone told me she's a mudblood. Think that's true?"

"I don't like that term, Lazlo." He grumbled, frowning.

"Okay, okay. Muggle-born, then. Think she is?"

Alerick couldn't help a small smile. Lazlo was really putting some effort into getting along; that alone was astounding. "Yes, she is. Both parents are muggle, and I'm afraid those two fools have done something to her…"

"I saw her at her table with some dark-haired boy, not even ten minutes ago. She had her arm in a sling, but she was using her hand so I don't think she's too bad off.…"

Alerick was clearly greatly relieved. "Outstanding. Thank you, that takes a lot off my mind…"

"So why you going back to your room? Got something from the little freak?"

"Mallek is NOT a freak, Lazlo." He growled, halting to glare at him.

"You and Alyssa are the only normal ones. I don' t understand how you five are so damned close all the time, and he's like the king or something. It seems pretty freaky to me. Sorry, didn't mean to piss ya off…" he sighed, looking at his boots a moment. "Look, I'm trying here. I don't know how to talk to you or any of the others, only Alyssa. But she talks to me a lot and I… well I don't know why I talk to her. But I say dumb stuff." He ran one hand through his hair. "I'm tryin'… We're family and we need to stick together."

Alerick took a deep, calming breath. Lazlo was right; they needed to stick together. "Just don't call him that anymore, all right?"

"I can't give my oath that I won't or anything, but I will try." Lazlo said honestly.

"Why don't you head back down and get your breakfast before class? I'm going to go put my box away and I will be to the classroom before class starts. I don't believe I'll be having trouble with those two again today."

"Yeah, okay." Lazlo managed a grin for his half-brother. "Be careful, okay? And I'm not intruding on your little club thing, I'm just your brother. Right?"

"Sure." Alerick manage a smile back. "And thanks again."

Each went their way; Lazlo back down the moving staircases to the Great Hall to catch a bite to eat, and Alerick back up to the fat lady' portrait.

Mallek hesitated, thinking to himself that this was the last place he wanted to be. Harry may have offered him a chance to be with Alerick but how could he even offer him any such hope? Lucius and Narcissa had both had forbidden him from contact with his closest friend and future lifemate and it was painful even to get through one whole day without him. Although he had been around Harry little during his life so far by his own choices, any chance he had to contact Alerick was worth putting a bit of trust in this man who was for all intents and purposes his older brother.

He took a deep breath, gathering himself and his courage. He wasn't afraid, but he was at the same time. If Harry really had nothing to offer him, he knew he would be even more depressed than he had been last night. He pushed that thought away and knocked on the door. He almost hoped that Harry would not answer, and thus he would not be any worse off than before…

The door opened. "Mallek; excellent. Come in, I'm almost ready for you." Harry said, stepping back to allow him in.

"Is Lord Draco here?" he asked softly.

"No, he's taken James off to the store to do some shopping." He answered, closing the door behind Mallek. "It's best that this be just between the two of us, anyway." He answered with a wink. "Go ahead, have a seat…"

The boy glanced around the room; he had spent very little time in this room due to his innate jealousy of Alerick's attraction to Harry. True, he himself had found that he was attracted to Draco… he shook himself back to the present. The room was clean, organized and spacious. The windows facing south allowed sunlight into the room regardless of the season, and the furnishings of warm wood and rich fabrics made it feel warm and comfortable. The rooms Harry and Draco had were more than a simple bedroom; there was an entry room with a large table with legs that looked like dragon claws holding silver balls, the chairs were large and plush and matched as well. There were two doors leading to the left and one to the right; the one on the right was open and it was clear to see it was Harry's bedroom. One of the doors on the left was open, and Mallek was sure it must be James' room. Mallek moved to the table, taking a seat, sitting up on his knees with his feet tucked under him.

Harry went to the bookshelf and pulled off a very large tome. "Here's what we want…" he said, cradling the book and carrying it over.

Mallek took a moment to examine the title of the book. "Hogwarts, a History…?" he asked in a tone that reflected his doubt and his irritation. Harry was offering him a stupid book he'd read already? He felt suddenly like Alerick had been taken from him again. "How is that going to do anything for me?"

"Never judge a book by its cover." Harry answered with a smirk, setting the book on the table. He took a moment to compose himself; he needed to be completely serious about what he would say next. "Now, Mallek. I must extract from you a promise. Your most sacred promise, based upon what you value most in this world."

The boy stared at the book, feeling his doubt rise. "I'm not making any promises until I know what you have to offer." He said quietly.

"First your word. I swear upon my bond to Draco Malfoy that what I am about to offer you will help you." Harry said softly.

Mallek raised his eyes to Harry's, searching his face for several long moments. Finally he nodded infinitesimally. "All right. I give my word upon my bond to Alerick that I will tell no one." He said quietly.

Harry tapped the cover of the book with his wand and it opened to reveal it was not a book at all; it was a case that held something wrapped in silk inside. "I had one of these when I was a kid; it helped me out of a tight spot even when it was broken." He lifted the thing out of the box and unwrapped it.

The boy frowned, seeing what it was. "A mirror?" he asked.

"Yes, and no." he said, looking into it a moment. He smiled then and moved to Mallek's side. "You might want to use this mirror… I'll give you a few minutes, all right?"

"A few minutes with a mirror?" he frowned, taking it from Harry. The moment his eyes fell on the mirror he lost his voice for a moment. Alerick was in the mirror, sitting in a bed surrounded by red curtains. "I… Alerick..." he whispered, one hand touching the glass. Was it a wizarding picture…? How could he see Alerick…? Was that where he really was? It didn't look like what he had been told Slytherin beds looked like…

"Mallek…" he heard Alerick speaking as well. "Is… is that really you…?"

"You're not a picture." Mallek murmured.

"Neither are you… how…?"

"Lord Harry made this possible…" He said softly. "How are you? Is everything all right? Why are your curtains red? I thought they were green…"

Alerick smiled and Mallek felt his heart warm. He felt so much better, must seeing him. Everything was going to be just fine. A month wasn't so long if he could speak to him every day like this… "There aren't any problems, nothing I didn't expect…"

"Oh don't tell me it's Lazlo; I'll have Erik and Erin taking turns hexing him all winter break if he's…"

"No, he's actually all right." He interrupted with a chuckle. "I'm not worried about him at all." He assured, then changed the subject. He wasn't so secure with his relationship with Lazlo yet and he really wanted to give it a chance and see if his half brother could manage to be dependable. "Of course you know I wrote you a letter last night…"

Mallek smiled back at him. "How could I know that? The post hasn't run yet."

"Was Lord Father Malfoy terribly angry over the plan…?"

"Yes, and so is Lady Mother Narcissa." He sighed softly. "I wasn't to be allowed to see you for an entire month, and we're all grounded to the house. Erik is all but despondent; he's sure it's entirely his fault that it failed."

"The hat, that's what made the choice. It was on his head and everything then told the headmaster that he had to go home."

"Erik told me. He's simply beside himself… Alerick, is that a red and gold tie you're wearing…?"

"I was placed in Gryffindor by that manky old hat…"

Harry slipped off into his office; he'd let them have privacy for ten minutes this morning. He knew that Alerick didn't have too much time this morning before his first class of the day or he would give them longer. Their future visits would be longer; he already had ideas of how to deal with Lucius to keep him from suspecting anything.

Harry sat down at the table outside with his son and his bonded for lunch; it was a fine afternoon and they wouldn't have too many more before it began to change over to winter.

"Did you have fun this morning, son?" Harry smiled at his youngest.

The boy nodded and smiled. "Yes, but we really didn't buy much. Papa wasn't happy with the fabric selections or the colors they had; he said they all made me look…" he hesitated, unsure of the exact word.

"They made you look pretentious, James." Draco provided the word with a grin.

Harry laughed and Draco gave him a smirk. "I know I was a puffed up peacock in school, but that just doesn't suit James. Good fabrics are one thing, but our son is not going to look like a flamboyant lounge singer."

"The styles were that bad?"

"Worse. I'm going to have to hire a tailor if styles continue to go the way they are. Our son will not be wearing things that reveal his hipbones and arse to the world at his age."

"I didn't like them either dad." James chuckled. "They were weird."

"Muggle fashions have been going that direction for a long time." Harry laughed. "I never went for that stuff, though."

"No, you had a definite style of your own, even if half of it that first year looked like it had been shucked off a sick elephant…"

"I only wore those a few weeks." Harry chuckled.

"Elephant skin, dad…?"

"Aunt Petunia gave me some of Uncle Dudley's castoffs, dyed grey, to wear to school." Harry explained.

"Ew… I mean, Uncle Dudley is okay and all, but in all your photos he's so much bigger than you were…"

"They were huge. And absolutely awful." Draco said calmly, sipping his tea.

Harry chuckled. "Yes, they were at least hideous. I never wore what she gave me to wear after that first year."

"Only you could have made it look good, Harry." Draco said.

Alyssa walked to their table, hesitating several feet away. Harry looked at her, curious. "Is something wrong, Alyssa…?"

She rushed to him and flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

He hugged her back. "Here now, what is it…?"

"Are you all right love?" Draco asked softly.

She put her lips to Harry's ear, whispering so softly she would not be overheard by the others at the table. "Thank you Mister Harry Potter sir; you made my Prince so happy…" she hugged him even tighter, then spoke louder so the others could hear as she slowly let go. "I love you, Lord Uncle Harry." She said, tears faint in her eyes.

"Alyssa, are you okay?" James asked, concerned as well.

"Yes, I… I just miss Alerick." She said with complete honesty, wiping at her eyes. "I just really needed to give you a hug, that's all."

Harry gave the girl a wink. "All right, sweetie. You run along now." He told her. He knew that Mallek must have told the others what he had done for him and she was expressing her gratitude for his actions.

"Odd." Draco commented, watching her hurry away. "But then they've all been acting odd since father put down his new rules…"

"They'll adjust; they always do."

Alyssa peered into her father's potions lab to see that he was seated at the table, and beside him on the table was a huge pile of flowers that were very pretty, though the entire room smelled of rotted garbage. She grimaced at the stench, but inched into the room anyway. "Ew… Daddy…? Papa George said you needed to talk to me…"

He looked up at her. His head was enclosed in a bubblehead charm, a clear attempt to escape the stink. "Oh… Lady Alyssa I was going to come and talk to you after I finished all of this, I didn't expect you to come in here with all of these nasty blossoms in here…"

She plugged her nose. "I'm sorry daddy they just smell so bad…"

"They're known as stinkblossom." He tried to rise but had to sit back down. He muttered a curse under his breath and pushed himself back to his feet. "Come along, off in the storage room here…" he limped to the small side room, opening the door. Alyssa followed and the moment she crossed the doorframe the stench was done. She took a breath gratefully.

"Oh daddy it smells so much cleaner in here…"

"If I had known you were coming, my daughter, I would have cleared the room first…" He said, sitting on a stool there in the storage room.

"Sorry, I will let you know next time…" she said sheepishly.

"No harm done, my dear." He said softly, giving her a slight smile. "I have something that… that I wish to ask your permission for, my Lady Alyssa." He said softly.

She sat on the second stool and set her hands in her lap, gazing up at him. "My permission, daddy…?" she asked curiously.

"Yes." He said softly, sighing, looking down a moment. "I have been given an assignment to carry out, and I wish to know if you are… if it will be acceptable to you, my Lady. If it is not, I will not carry it out…"

Alyssa looked worried now. "But what is it, daddy?"

"Lord Malfoy wishes me… and George Weasley… He says we must…"

Her eye grew wide, hope clear in her eyes, almost bouncing in her seat. "You and papa? Really, daddy? Are you really going to get bonded?" she asked, voice rising with excitement, barley contained.

"Only if you find it acceptable, my Lady; if you don't I will simply…"

"Oh daddy, yes yes yes yes yes!" she squealed, jumping down and flinging her arms around him. "I want you and papa George to always be around, to always be with me, to always be my daddy and papa oh yes! Can I plan it, daddy? Can I please?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with happiness and excitement.

Jerrod put his arms around the girl as well. "George has gone to plan it; you will have to catch him to get involved. I don't mind at all if you plan things. I know you more me better than George does in many ways. Just… not too much, all right my lady?" he asked in an unsure tone. He knew he would do anything she wished, but he would have a lot of trouble with a big ceremony and a huge display. Bonding ceremony or not, he did not like to be involved in pomp and circumstance. He only hoped that Lucius Malfoy would stay the bloody hell out of it all.

"Of course not daddy, I want you to be happy and know you like things simple. I won't let him get all crazy with the ceremony, I promise." she said, gazing up at him.

He brushed her bangs out of her eyes, finally relaxing a little and smiling at her. "Thank you my Lady Alyssa."

11


	14. Chapter 14

************Author's Note*************

Hello readers! Sorry its been so long between chapters; I hope to have that silly apartment done so that I can get back to updating stories! Thanks for your patience; I will try to post again within 2 weeks with another small chapter. Hope all of you are doing well!

Harry opened his office door and paused a moment, taking in the scene. On the divan just under the window sat Mallek, the bright morning sunshine pooling around him. He was curled up and leaning on the arm of the chair, holding a mirror in his hands. He just looked so happy and relaxed that Harry hated to have to interrupt him, but it was time. He cleared his throat quietly.

Mallek looked up when he heard the sound, and then sighed softly, looking distinctly unhappy now. He returned his eyes to the mirror, which did not reflect his image at all but showed an image of Alerick seated on his bed in his dorm room surrounded by red curtains. "I have to go, its time again…" he said reluctantly. "I want you to be especially careful, all right…?"

"Believe it or not, Lazlo and I are getting on pretty well; family sticking together and all that." Alerick smiled reassuringly. "I'm not alone here; I have Angel in my own house and Rose Weasley is here as well. There are plenty of people here I know, including teachers who Lord Father Malfoy has had over for dinner before; it's not so bad. It's almost like being home with you. Please don't worry, Mallek, I'm at school. What could happen?"

That question brought back plenty of memories to Harry; he knew precisely how dangerous things could get in Hogwarts when a student had a mind to wander about and stick their nose into things… even accidentally. For him, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's hallowed halls brought one adventure and life-threatening danger every year he had attended for himself, Hermione and Ron. But he had no intention of sharing those adventures with Mallek right now; he was worried enough and Harry wasn't going to make things worse. He simply kept his thoughts to himself.

Mallek touched the mirror with his open hand and Alerick did the same. "Be safe." He whispered.

"You as well, my Prince." Alerick murmured in response.

The dark-haired boy drew his hand down the glass of the mirror and it shimmered; Alerick's reflection faded. The mirror became nothing more than a simple looking glass, reflecting Mallek's image to him. The eight year old sighed softly and dropped his feet off the divan, turning to the side table. The book case for the mirror was there, awaiting its contents to be replaced. He set the mirror carefully down in the box and covered it carefully with its protective silk. He closed the lid and rested one hand on it, his head bowed as he clearly was fighting tears.

Harry said nothing, allowing the boy to have a few minutes to gather himself; he knew this had to be incredibly difficult for him.

Finally, Mallek looked up at him, his eyes misted with unshed tears. "How could you do it, Lord Harry…? I really don't understand how you could bear the separation…" he murmured.

"It wasn't the same for me, not at your age." Harry said, sitting beside him on the couch. When Mallek didn't shy away he settled back and relaxed. It was time someone explained things to him and he didn't see any reason to keep secrets. "And please, don't call me Lord Harry. We're brothers, aren't we? Just Harry will do."

"I'll try to remember." He said softly, his hands clasped, staring at them. "It's just…" Mallek took a deep breath. "I don't understand how you could handle it. You must have been a lot stronger than I am."

"Life was a lot different for me when I was eight, Mallek." Harry told him. "I really can't say if I'm any stronger than you are. At your age I was my cousin's full-time punching bag, and my aunt treated me like her own personal house-elf. I hadn't even met Draco so I had no idea that I had someone out there meant for me. To be completely honest, I had no idea that I was a wizard or anything special at all."

Mallek looked up at him. "They treated you that badly?"

Harry shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, they did… but for me it was just every day life. I lived in a cupboard for several years."

"A cupboard…?"

"Yes, under the stairs. It was at least a place of my own I could keep my things in… but it wasn't so bad. It was normal for me. You know, I think their treatment of me helped me to become strong enough to go through everything I had to. Dudley isn't all that bad anymore; he grew up and got his head on straight. He's rather a good fellow, now. I'll have to introduce you to him sometime."

"I wouldn't put up with anyone doing that to me."

"No, you wouldn't. But you see, I wasn't raised by my mum and dad, I was raised by my aunt and uncle. They constantly told me that I was nothing but an orphan and it was damned kind of them to bother taking me in; I was lucky to have anything to call a home. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon gave me a house to live in. Our parents had died when I was very little… but you know all of this right?"

Mallek shook his head, leaning into Harry. The older brother smiled softly and put his arm comfortingly around his younger brother. "Harry…? Did you know your parents…? I mean our parents…?"

"Not really. I was just over a year old when they were killed."

"That was the Dark Lord, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was." Harry said softly. "I have a few memories… mum was beautiful, always smiling." He reached to the side table and picked up the old photo that Hagrid had given him first year, sitting there upon the table. In the photo his parents danced and held each other; they were so clearly happy with each other. "This is the best photo of them I have." He said, passing the photo to Mallek.

He gazed at the people in the photo, his fingers lightly brushing the glass. "That's our mom… she looks… gentle." He said softly.

"I think she was. Everyone who knew her thought she was something special… well, almost everyone." Harry grinned softly. "Dad had a bit of a wild side, but mom kept him grounded I think."

Mallek gazed at the photo a few moments, and then handed it back to Harry. "Looking at them makes me sad. I really miss Alerick." He sighed sadly.

"Don't fret so. He's fine, really."

The boy fidgeted, rubbing at his eyes. "I just don't understand how you could get through summers at all. How did you do it, Harry…? Being apart from Alerick almost feels like I've forgotten how to breathe."

"It was really different for me, to tell the truth. I didn't even realize I really loved Draco until halfway through sixth year."

Mallek looked up at him, clearly a little confused by that statement. "But you and he are so much in love, how could you not know the minute you saw him?"

"Because he was, to put it simply, being an absolute and incredibly cruel snob most of the time. He was simply doing everything he could to make sure no one knew how much he cared for me."

"That makes no sense. Why would he do that?"

Harry paused, considering how to give word the answer. "Think for a moment before you say it doesn't make sense. He knew that during that time, his being close to me would cause me to be put in danger of either enslavement or death. Making everyone sure that he and I would never be together was his way of protecting me." He answered.

"Having him at your side doesn't make you weaker, it makes you stronger." He argued.

"As true as that is, Mallek, tell me this: If you knew that having Alerick at your side could mean his enslavement or death, what would you do?"

Mallek was silent several moments, thinking hard now. It would be horrible, but he knew what he would do and it was exactly what Draco had done. "I think I'd drive him as far away from me as I could." He said softly. "I would rather know he's alive and safe…"

"It took me a while to understand it too, but I don't think I would have done any differently. Lord Voldemort wanted to have my life in his hands, and it was the only thing Draco could do to keep me safe and away from that situation." Harry agreed in a soft tone.

"He must have been absolutely horrid to you."

Harry chuckled. "Yes, he was, and not only to me. He was just as awful to Ron and Hermione as he was to me; everyone around me was a target. He had two cronies who made things difficult for us all the time as well… He was really something else."

"If he was that awful to you, how did you ever find out that you really liked him? And that he loved you that much?" he asked, content to simply talk to this man who was his brother and he had really never taken time to get to know.

Harry smiled at the younger boy. "Now that's a whole separate story…" he began, but fell silent when a firm knock sounded on the door. He looked that direction and called "Come in."

Lucius Malfoy swung the door open, dressed as usual in his wizard's robes with his hair hanging loose in a pale cascade, looking ready to greet the Queen herself. His eyes swept the room quickly, taking in the scene before him. A faint smile touched his lips at the fact that the two were seated not only together, but the lad had been leaning in toward Harry. "Ah, good morning, Harry... I was just looking for Mallek."

"Here I am, Lord Father." Mallek immediately sat away from Harry and came to his feet.

"So I see." He returned with a smirk.

"I'm not late for morning lessons, am I…?" he asked, concerned.

"No, not at all." Lucius reassured him. "But you might be if you don't head out soon. Run along, your tutor is waiting."

"Yes, Lord Father Malfoy." He said, turning back to his brother. "Harry, thank you so much for sharing with me; I feel a lot better now. May I come back tomorrow?" he asked.

"Of course you may. I've enjoyed our little talk as well." Harry smiled.

Mallek gave the Malfoy Patriarch a formal bow, and then brushed past Lucius as he hurried out of the room. Lucius watched the boy move off at a brisk walk, then turned back to face Harry.

The younger man carefully maintained his calm expression; he had no idea if Lucius knew about the mirror and what they had been up to. He was pretty sure that Lucius would not take kindly to his going behind his back to allow the two to see each other, but he had an argument prepared to argue his point if he had to. He wasn't about to give anything away, though. Lucius would have to say something about it first.

"You know, this is something I have been truly hoping I would see from young Mallek." Lucius said softly, smiling now.

"What is that, Lucius?" Harry asked, rising from the couch.

"Think about it. As the Dark Prince, he didn't have to think about anyone other than himself and his Circle. He had no one that was considered parent, no one that he was to give allegiance to besides that mad fool Parkinson. Even the nursemaids were at his beck and call, creatures to serve and not to respect. "

"They respected you." Harry pointed out.

"As a person with more power than they, at that moment in time, yes." Lucius said agreeably. "But Mallek has only demonstrated that he has concern for Narcissa, and once in a while he displays some for me. He has little emotion when it comes to the other children of the household outside of his circle."

"I had noticed that too." He agreed.

"I couldn't help but notice that even though he had been told that you were his brother by blood and heritage, he did not want anything to do with you." Lucius pointed out

Harry shrugged, not concerned about that. "That was just because Alerick had that crush on me back when he was five years old. It made Mallek a little jealous…"

"A little?" The older wizard snorted. "He tried to sic his two bodyguards on you. Fortunately their knowledge of spells that could maim and injure had been removed from their active memories by the time he decided to do that."

"They were good at those spells too; I'd never seen a three year old use a spell without a wand before, intentionally to harm someone else."

"Severus saved the lives of all five of them by removing those memories." Lucius said softly, remembering how it could easily have been him lying there bleeding, if Jerrod had not intervened at precisely the right moment. "But up until now Mallek has retained his haughtiness and has clung to the idea that he is a step above the rest of the world. He does not run and play quite as the others do, though he is beginning to blossom into his own strengths…"

"True." Harry agreed. "But none of that explains why you are glad to see him here…?"

"His willingness to sit with you shows that he is developing an interest in those who are extended family. He is finally growing beyond that 'princely' image and is beginning to see himself as a part of our family, as a part of the world. Whatever it is that you are doing with him, Potter, please don't stop. He needs to be more human to get along in our world. Seeing him sitting there with you, being comforted by you, is one of the loveliest things I have seen."

Harry smiled, feeling warmed inside. Lucius had just given him direct permission to continue to allow Alerick and Mallek to have their little meetings, and he wasn't even asking what it was that was making Mallek act more human than he had in the past. He had permission and that was all that he needed. "Thank you, Lucius, I believe I will. I would like nothing better than to continue having my brother visit me every morning."

Lucius smiled softly. "Excellent, Potter." He said, with a bow. "Good day…" he turned and strolled out, quietly closing the door behind him.


	15. Planning the Ceremony

Alyssa sat out in the gazebo, enjoying the late fall day with her father George. The table that was made of wrought iron that sat in the sheltered alcove could normally seat eight people, but not today. One small area of the table held a tea tray, with biscuits and hot tea for the two to share while they chatted. The rest of the large table was covered in fabric swatches, flowers, ribbons bows, glasses, books and other items; the two of them had finally found the time to sit and discuss the upcoming bonding ceremony..

Precisely as Jerrod had feared, George was planning on an extravagant affair, and from what Alyssa could see he was planning on inviting half the wizarding world. She had managed to get him to promise to keep the invitations to very close friends and to family only, to minimize the size of the crowd at the bonding and now she had another challenge to face. George set his tea aside and reached into the stack of fabrics. "You know, I really like this one… I'd love to see it on Jerrod." He said.

"Papa George, you should know that daddy won't wear that color." Alyssa said with a giggle. "It's too bright. He wouldn't wear it even if I used my powers to try to force him."

"Too bright?" he eyed the swatch curiously, grinning faintly. "It's just blue. Sky blue. I like this color." George said, waving it at her. "And I think he'd look fabulous in it."

"We both know he won't wear it. Please, papa, don't make him…? Daddy wants to be happy about the bonding but he's worried it's going to turn into a circus. And if you make him wear that he'll feel like he's dressed like a clown." She explained. "Please, Papa George…?"

"All right, all right, no bright colors and no pastels." George tossed the sample aside, giving in without much of a battle. He'd get Jerrod pajamas in that color and make sure he wore them at least once or twice.

"Thank you Papa George." She smiled sweetly.

He chuckled softly. "You win that round. So tell me, what colors can I consider to make the gown that is going to be worn by our beautiful little girl, hmm?" He asked.

"I think I'm getting tired of pink." She said, eyeing the other samples on the table. "I'm almost all grown up now; can I wear something really pretty?"

"You're only ten years old, Alyssa. Using the words grown-up are a bit too much for you just yet."

"I'm a mature ten years old." She returned with a smirk. "I'll wear anything but pink, I've been wearing that since I was a baby. Maybe … ooh! I know what color!" she began rummaging through the samples and produced a scrap of silver silk. "This. This is what I want, papa. A silver dress and I think Daddy needs to be dressed in silver-gray."

"Why in Merlin's name would I want to put Jerrod in gray?" George repeated, lifting an eyebrow. "A little somber for a bonding ceremony, isn't it?"

Alyssa giggled softly. "Can you really imagine daddy in something bright?"

George grinned at her. "To tell you the truth I imagine it all the time. All he ever wears is dark colors; I'd love to see him in something clean and bright for a change."

"And he'd be completely miserable. And he would be furious at you and not even talk to you for months and months…"

"Or longer." He agreed with a smirk. "All right, a silver-gray gray for your father and a beautiful silver dress for our girl. Goo d thing I know a good seamstress; I want the both of you to look stunning. How do you want your hair done? You'll be wearing a stunning dress, do you want bows or do you want your hair put up like a big girl?" He asked.

"I'd rather have it up like a lady." She smiled. "And daddy should wear his hair in a braid."

"Agreed, I like his long hair. I don't want him to cut it but don't tell him that."

She giggled. "I know. He'd just cut it if he knew you wanted him to keep it long."

"Obstinate man." He chuckled.

"Gotta love him." She smiled, picking up a biscuit delicately and nibbling on it. "Oh, papa George? Can I please carry the bonding rings?"

"You? Its tradition really for a boy to carry the ring…" George said thoughtfully.

"Well what's the girl supposed to do?"

"Throw flower petals I think."

She eyed him. "Throw flower petals? That's it?"

"Well, that and look pretty. Carrying the ring isn't such a great feat of strength either, little love." George chuckled. "Only I would have a daughter who wants to be both the ringbearer and the flower girl." he commented wryly.

"I don't have to be the flower girl too, Papa. That's just silly. Why don't we have Rose come and be the flower girl, she's your niece and going to be my cousin and she'd love to get all frilly and throw flowers." she answered. "She can do that and then both of us can be in the wedding."

"That's a good idea, really." George smiled. "I'll tell Ron about it straight away."

Alyssa stood up and began searching through the pile of fabric swatches. "I know what you should wear, too, Papa. It'll look lovely beside the silver grey that daddy will be wearing…" She produced a swatch of heavy silken fabric, a soft weave of black that shimmered with silver tones. "You should have your robes made out of this fabric."

"Black for me?" he looked doubtful. "Honestly love, I was thinking more of this red…" he picked up another swatch.

"No, it won't look right with your red hair." She plucked the red swatch from his fingers and held it up to her own hair, the same tone as George's. "See? It makes me look all pale and my hair kind of washed out. You want something that will make you look good. Black is better for you; that or deep blue."

"You know, I can't help but notice you're picking out colors that Jerrod usually wears." George smirked.

Alyssa shrugged and giggled. "They might be the same colors but it's not going to be the same, papa. Daddy wears plain functional robes of those colors. You're going to wear dress robes, not work robes."

"True." George picked up the black fabric, studying it a moment before he gave a sharp nod. "All right, black it is then. That way my color will show the world what a handsome man he is even more."

She leaned forward with her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands, gazing at George. "You really do love him, don't you papa?"

He smiled tenderly at the young girl. "I know it seems odd, but something about him just caught me when I met him. Didn't get on with him in school, but then Slytherins weren't associating with Gryffindors anyway…"

"Like Uncle Harry and Uncle Draco."

"Exactly. I always knew you were an intelligent girl." He grinned at her and reached to ruffle her hair; she was too quick for him and shied back out of his reach. He chuckled and reached for his drink instead. "I didn't see him after I left Hogwarts at all, though I did think about him now and then. I know your dad doesn't think he's handsome, but I sure do. Something about his eyes, I think… I never laid eyes on him again until the year you came into my life."

"You weren't too friendly then, either. All you two did was argue and fuss." She said, rolling er eyes dramatically.

He gazed at her thoughtfully. "You were only three; you really remember all of that?"

She couldn't help but smile. "Oh come on, papa. Of course I remember. You know that daddy was always the most important thing in my life. He wasn't supposed to but he took care of me. And he gave me a toy to make me think of him and know he always would love me. No one else had a toy like my 'Thulu, so I knew he was special and I was too."

"I was worried about how the world would see you, with all your powers. You still have some work to do on keeping them under control…"

"I can keep them under control. Just sometimes I want to use them when I shouldn't." she sighed. "Its hard to know when is the right time and when is not. They had taught me that there is no wrong time but there are…"

"And the fact that you are thinking about it and trying to figure that out is brilliant, Liss." George smiled fondly. "And yes, I do love your daddy. Very much, in fact."

She smiled back at him. "And I know daddy loves you, even if he won't say it."

"He will someday; he just has a lot of trouble expressing his emotions toward me."

She giggled. "I know. He has the same problem with everyone, even me." She commented, then glanced at the big pile again. "Have you chosen the bonding rings?"

"Yeah." Gorge nodded, sitting back in his chair with a biscuit in hand. "And those are one thing I will not be swayed on."

"But what are they?"

"No, Alyssa. I chose those a long time ago. Jerrod's isn't gaudy, trust me. I know he has to work and his ring needs to be of a certain metal so as to not mess up his potions. I've chosen something that is appropriate."

"But can't I see them?"

"Of course you can, little one. At the bonding you'll see them like everyone else."

"But papa, daddy asked me to make sure…"

"No, Alyssa." He answered firmly. "I promise you, his ring is all right. He's going to find so many things to complain about with the ceremony, I don't intend for him to find any reason to dislike his ring. I want him to wear it."

She looked at him curiously. "But I just want to see them…"

He shook his head. "Not happening. Come on, focus on the bonding ceremony. What else do we need? We got the flowers, catering for the party afterward which your daddy will try to avoid like dragon pox but I intend to drag him down at least for an hour or so. We've chosen the fabrics for you and Rose – she'll have a silver dress as well – and fabrics for Jerrod and me as well. The ceremony will be held here, Lucius has offered up the ballroom and that's more than big enough. You've made it very clear that I can't invite half the ministry, just family and very close friends. What else is there to do?"

"Um… someone to perform the bonding ceremony?" she suggested.

"Any member of the ministry can do it, Lucius can too. Why not him?" George asked.

"Lord Father Malfoy? I don't think daddy would want that at all." Alyssa answered, sipping her tea. "I guess I have to leave that part to you, then."

"I'll get someone appropriate." He smiled. "That's it, then. You can go tell Jerrod I won't humiliate him."

"He doesn't think that…"

"Oh, doesn't he?" George chuckled. "I might be a little unfocused at times, but I know why he sent you to help me pick all this out. It's all right; I know there's areas he still doesn't trust me about, it will just take time." He assured his daughter.


End file.
